In what is likely the first case of its kind, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania dismissed a counterclaim for infringement of trade secrets, which the pharmaceutical company Lanett brought in the context of a wrongful termination suit initiated by a former employee. The Defend Trade Secrets Act was passed in May 2016 and allows the holder to a trade secret to bring suit in federal court when their trade secret has been misappropriated. However, in Christian v. Lannett Co., Inc., the alleged misappropriation happened during a document production made pursuant to a court order, which the court held is immunized by the Defend Trade Secrets Act.
