GALVESTON – A Texas City pressure washer rental company alleges that its confidential information was used for the benefit of a competitor.
GreenTex Equipment Corp., doing business as Tri-Star Equipment, filed a complaint on Sept. 27 in the Galveston County District Court against Louis Lee Manuel III, Lethia Paulina Manuel, Stefan Johnny Ygdevik and Stingray Industrial Rentals LLC alleging that they violated the Texas Uniform Trade Secrets Act and the Texas Theft Liability Act.
According to the complaint, Louis Lee Manuel III and Lethia Paulina Manuel were employees of the defendant. The suit states that Ygdevik, owner of Resolute Environmental & Response Services, entered into negotiations with the plaintiff in early 2017 to purchase it, but an agreement was never reached.
The plaintiff alleges that the defendants formed Stingray after the purchase negotiations fell through in April. It alleges that the defendants "almost immediately" began diverting the plaintiff's customers.
The plaintiff holds Louis Lee Manuel III, Lethia Paulina Manuel, Ygdevik and Stingray Industrial Rentals LLC responsible because Louis Lee Manuel III and Lethia Paulina Manuel allegedly accessed and obtained plaintiff's sensitive confidential and trade secret information while still employed by the plaintiff and diverted plaintiff's customers and revenue to defendant Stingray.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks monetary damages of more than $100,000 and all other relief to which it is entitled to receive. It is represented by Kyle L. Dickson of Murray | Lobb PLLC in Houston.
Galveston County District Court case number 17-CV-1182