A US judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought on by Delaware-based CleanFish against its former co-founder Dale Sims for launching Buena Vista Seafood and stealing "confidential data" in the process.
A US district judge in Northern California dismissed the case earlier this month, stating CleanFish was unable to provide evidence of trade secrets being stolen, and that the case lacked specifics.
Lawyers for CleanFish argued in a filing with a US district court in Northern California last year that Sims and Nanci Dixon of Island Sea Farms, a former mussel supplier to CleanFish, used "detailed customer lists, purchasing data, sales figures and other analysis" to directly compete with CleanFish and divert business away from the company.
The judge summarized that CleanFish "failed to plausibly plead that the mere identity of its customers constitutes a trade secret."
The judge has ordered both parties to meet and file a joint case management statement by Aug. 25 to identify a resolution.
