Contact: Paula Pomaville
B&P Littleford, LLC
989-757-1309
ppomaville@bplittleford.com
For Immediate Release
On May, 7, 2018, B&P Littleford, LLC, filed a lawsuit against Prescott Machinery, LLC, and Ray Miller in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
According to the complaint, B&P designs and manufactures highly engineered mixers, dryers, and other equipment for manufacturing applications. A majority of the equipment that B&P uses has been developed and redesigned by B&P over the course of many years. B&P consider the equipment, the equipment designs, and those components to be trade secret information.
Per the complaint, Miller was the CEO for B&P until he resigned in 2008. After his resignation, Miller started Prescott Machinery, where he serves as its President.
The complaint indicates that the United States government purchased one of B&P’s mixers, which was installed at the United States Navy’s Naval Surface Weapons Center. In 2017, the Navy wanted to overhaul and retrofit the mixer that it had purchased from B&P. The contract to retrofit the mixer ended up being awarded to Prescott.
The complaint alleges that a B&P vendor obtained copies of the Prescott drawings in order to fulfill the Navy contract, and the vendor then gave the drawings to B&P. The complaint states that these drawings revealed that Prescott used B&P’s confidential and trade secret information in its proposal for the Navy contract.
The complaint alleges multiple causes of action against Prescott and Miller, both individually and collectively, and claims that both Miller and Prescott are in violation of the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act and the Michigan Uniform Trade Secrets Act.
The complaint also has various claims asserted individually against Miller, including a breach of contract, breach of loyalty and fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment, and a promissory estoppel action.
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