Last week, Landus Cooperative announced they were seeking a temporary restraining order in federal court against NEW Cooperative and two former Landus field sales agronomists who are now NEW Coop employees, Brian David Berns and Jeffrey Ryan Headley. Landus alleges the two conspired to steal confidential information, “trade secrets,” they used to solicit business for NEW Cooperative and then destroyed evidence of the theft of information after the fact. In addition to the restraining order, Landus is seeking actual, punitive and exemplary damages, attorney fees and interest. On Thursday, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa filed an order in favor of the Landus request, granting the temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction. The order states the defendants are barred from using the plaintiff’s confidential information and must return all copies of what is alleged to have been taken. In addition, Headley and Berns are barred from soliciting or selling to customers they were assigned while with Landus and are ordered to retain and preserve all evidence, making it available to the plaintiff. Attorney for NEW Cooperative is Stu Cochrane with Johnson, Kramer, Mulholland, Cochrane & Cochrane of Fort Dodge. At this time, he says he will not be making a statement on a ruling in pending litigation. We will bring you more from NEW Cooperative and their legal team when they are able to discuss the suit.
