Has litigation ended between Littler and ex-associate? Settlement cited, but resolution unclear
Law Firms
Has litigation ended between Littler and ex-associate? Settlement cited, but resolution unclear
June 17, 2024, 10:37 am CDT
Littler Mendelson told a Texas court last week it is dropping its lawsuit accusing a former associate of uploading confidential law firm documents to her Dropbox. (Image from Shutterstock)
Littler Mendelson told a Texas court last week it is dropping its lawsuit accusing a former associate of uploading confidential law firm documents to her Dropbox.
The firm filed a notice of dismissal after reaching a $950,000 settlement in December with the former associate, Uliana Kozeychuk, Law360 reports.
Littler had claimed that Kozeychuk uploaded more than 7,900 documents to an external Dropbox in February 2023 before quitting her job. Some of the documents contained client information and belonged to Littler, the firm alleged in a March 2023 amended petition.
Kozeychuk had claimed that she was being targeted for complaining about a shareholder. The documents that she took with her were personal in nature, she had maintained.
The settlement says Littler will pay Kozeychuk $950,000 for back pay, alleged emotional distress, attorney fees and costs, if she satisfies certain conditions, according to Law360.
Those conditions include eliminating mentions of the firm from her social media accounts and allowing a forensics expert to remove firm documents from her electronic files, according to the article.
Littler’s notice of dismissal, filed in Dallas County, Texas, didn’t mention a settlement, but a copy of the deal was available on the docket in a separate case in California state court, according to Law360. In the California suit, Kozeychuk accuses Littler of breaching the settlement agreement.
Littler says there was no breach.
“We believe all issues between the parties have been resolved; Littler did not violate the terms of the settlement agreement,” the firm told Law360 in a statement.
Kozeychuk declined to comment in an email to the ABA Journal. A lawyer representing Littler did not immediately respond to a Journal email.
