There has been a sharp rise in unfair business practices disputes in San Diego and Southern California. The Watkins Firm has almost four decades of experience in these unfortunately common accusations and cases. Unfair business practices takes many forms, and often includes former employees or business partners. Is is possible to protect the trade secrets, customers and other aspects of your business and to put a stop to the harmful actions of business associates, partners, fellow members, officers and shareholders?
What Typically Leads to Unfair Business Practices Disputes in San Diego
What leads to unfair business practices disputes in San Diego and across California? California has particularly strict laws protecting the business environment here in San Diego and across the state from “Unfair Competition” from former employees and business competitors as well as deception and fraud. What types of practices can constitute unfair business practices?
- Theft and misappropriation of company confidential or trade secret information
- Unfair, deceptive, or misleading actions or information during the course of one’s business duties
- Violations of a fiduciary duty
- Misuse of power
- Theft or embezzlement
- Commingling
- Conspiracy and/or self-dealing
Former partners may separate and try to take control of corporate assets such as websites, business listings, public advertisements, or P.O. boxes. Majority owners may attempt to complete a merger in an effort to water-down or eliminate minority shareholder interests.
Unfair Business Practices by Employees and Former Employees
Did you know that current and former employees can take actions which result in unfair business practices disputes in San Diego and Southern California? This can result from employees who leave and take confidential trade secrets or customer information to competitors, or who try to use this information to start their own businesses. Unfair business practices may also be the result of focused solicitation of a company’s employees by either another business or a former employee. Hiring a single effective employee from a competitor is not an unfair business practice. However, conspiracy to hire multiple employees away from a company to diminish it’s competitiveness is usually a pattern of unfair business practices. This is enhanced when the practice includes attempts to access, identify or steal trade secrets of the target business.
In many cases unfair competition practices in San Diego and across California can also relate to how a business competes within a given marketplace outside of normal accepted competitive business practices. For example, a recent unfair business practices case against Uber was filed by the district attorneys for Los Angeles and San Francisco. In this case, the plaintiffs argued Uber had violated California’s unfair business practices laws by misleading and overcharging their customers.
Resolving Unfair Business Practices Disputes in Southern California
The business litigation and dispute resolution attorneys at the Watkins Firm have been resolving unfair business practices disputes and disputes between co-owner, shareholders, investors and members for almost four decades. Ask about our unique approach to disputes which is designed to resolve them quickly and in a cost-effective manner.
It may surprise you to learn that the experienced dispute resolution attorneys at the Watkins Firm are able to resolve the majority of these cases through effective, leveraged negotiations. This is the fastest and least expensive route to resolving any business-related dispute. We also represent our clients in mediation, arbitration and at trial.
If you have been accused of unfair business practices in San Diego or believe a former employee or competitor is using unfair business practices against you we invite you to check out our podcast on unfair business practices, review the strong recommendations of our clients and contact the Watkins Firm or call 858-535-1511 for a complimentary consultation today. Fair competition is good and healthy for any business economy. California has taken significant legal steps to protect that.
