Client Awarded More Than $96 Million in Jury Trial

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Maynard Nexsen litigators on trial team in trade secrets case

Maynard Nexsen shareholders Susi McWilliams and Sara Svedberg joined Frost Brown Todd in a successful trade secrets case on behalf of Prysmian Cables & Systems USA, LLC, one of the world’s leaders in the manufacture and sale of fiber optic cables. Prysmian was awarded a total of $96,700,000.00 in damages.

Based in Highland Heights, Kentucky, with U.S. fiber-optic cable manufacturing facilities in Lexington, South Carolina; Claremont, North Carolina; and Jackson, Tennessee, Prysmian filed a lawsuit in June 2021 accusing a former Prysmian executive, Stephen J. Szymanski, and his new employer, Sterlite Technologies, Inc., of misappropriating Prysmian’s trade secrets. Szymanski and Sterlite denied taking any information from Prysmian. However, Prysmian proved at trial that Szymanski and Sterlite had taken Prysmian’s extremely valuable trade secrets, which included Prysmian’s management plan, its customer, pricing, and product information, and its manufacturing plant expansion plans.

The case was tried for nearly three weeks in U.S. District Court in Columbia. The jury then returned the significant verdict against the two defendants.

“We could not be more pleased for the client to be part of this amazing trial team,” said McWilliams. “Securing this win was a gratifying end to a long and arduous litigation.”

In a Prysmian statement, Andrea Pirondini, Prysmian North America CEO, said, “This case came down to the basic principle of right versus wrong, and we are pleased that the jury came to this decision. It was clear that we had a solid case, and the jury decision confirms how America looks at the protection of trade secrets. It also demonstrates we will not stand still when it comes to defending our confidential information and trade secrets, competing fairly in the marketplace, and doing right by our customers.”