Busey Bank v. Turney

CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedJanuary 10, 2022
Docket1:21-cv-02900
StatusUnknown

This text of Busey Bank v. Turney (Busey Bank v. Turney) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Busey Bank v. Turney, (N.D. Ill. 2022).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS EASTERN DIVISION

BUSEY BANK, an Illinois Banking ) Corporation, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) No. 21 C 2900 v. ) ) Judge Sara L. Ellis MICHAEL G. TURNEY, DAVID BESLER, ) MILISSA OMMEN-WELBORN, RANDALL ) CLARK, BARBARA WEIDNER, KIRK ) TJERNAGEL, RON BRISCOE, SANDRA ) VICK, KEITH FRANK MOUIS, JOSEPH ) RILEY MONGIOVI, NICHOLAS W. ) VILLAREAL, BRADLEY DAVID GISH, ) KERI KIKTA, JEFFREY HOPPER, ) DEBORAH STOCH, and FLAGSTAR ) BANK, FSB, ) ) Defendants. )

OPINION AND ORDER On May 28, 2021, Plaintiff Busey Bank (“Busey”) filed this lawsuit against fifteen of its former employees (collectively, the “Former Employee Defendants”) and their new employer, Flagstar Bank, FSB (“Flagstar”). The Former Employee Defendants, all involved in the mortgage loan business, left Busey for Flagstar between July and October 2020. Busey alleges that Flagstar raided its employees and that, in conjunction with the Former Employee Defendants, is misusing Busey’s proprietary and trade secret information.1 Busey brings claims against all Defendants for unfair competition; misappropriation of trade secrets in violation of the Illinois Trade Secrets Act (“ITSA”), 765 Ill. Comp. Stat. 1065/1 et seq., and the Defend Trade Secrets Act (“DTSA”), 18 U.S.C. § 1836(b); tortious interference with Busey’s business

1 Busey filed a parallel case against Flagstar and several other former employees in the Southern District of Indiana on June 4, 2021. See Busey Bank v. Flagstar Bank, FSB, No. 21 C 1526 (S.D. Ind.). relationships and contracts; and civil conspiracy. Busey also alleges that the Former Employee Defendants violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (“CFAA”), 18 U.S.C. § 1030 et seq., breached their fiduciary duties, and acted as faithless servants so as to forfeit their right to compensation. For those Former Employee Defendants with signed employment agreements

with Busey, Busey also brings a claim for breach of contract. Finally, Busey seeks to hold Flagstar liable for inducing the Former Employee Defendants to breach their fiduciary duties. Defendants, in three separate groups, filed motions to dismiss Busey’s complaint pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). Because Busey has not sufficiently alleged its DTSA claim and has agreed to withdraw the CFAA claim, Busey has not pleaded a sufficient basis for this Court’s subject matter jurisdiction. Thus, the Court dismisses the complaint without prejudice and defers consideration of the state law claims. BACKGROUND2 I. Busey and Its Efforts to Protect Its Confidential Information Busey, a bank based in Illinois, provides banking and mortgage loan origination and

refinancing services. Busey generates, maintains, and protects confidential information, including market studies and strategies, financial studies, sales programs and pricing strategies, mathematical models, computer programs, statistical methods and algorithms, and personal customer information. Busey spends substantial time, effort, and resources on developing its customer base, network, and confidential and proprietary technology and information. Busey has adopted several policies that address the use of its systems and information. Its electronic resources acceptable use policy provides that Busey employees may not “[r]eveal

2 The Court takes the facts in the background section from Busey’s complaint and the exhibits attached thereto and presumes them to be true for the purpose of resolving Defendants’ motions to dismiss. See Phillips v. Prudential Ins. Co. of Am., 714 F.3d 1017, 1019–20 (7th Cir. 2013). The Court also considers exhibits Busey references in its responses. To the extent Busey failed to attach exhibits to their responses but filed them elsewhere, the Court has considered those exhibits as well. or publicize confidential or proprietary information which includes, but is not limited to: financial information, confidential client information, marketing strategies and plans, databases and any information contained therein, client lists, computer software source codes, computer/network access codes, and business relationships.” Doc. 1-12 ¶ 13. Busey’s

information security policy provides that authorized users may only use their privileged access for “appropriate, legitimate, business required functions of Busey” and act in a way that “maintains the confidentiality, integrity, and availability for all Busey information.” Id. ¶ 14. The policy defines confidential information to include customers’ “name and address, social security number/tax identification number, credit scores or history, account balance, account number, account status, common information gathered for identification purposes (i.e. driver’s license number, mother’s maiden name, birth date).” Id. Additionally, some of the Former Employee Defendants signed participation agreements with Busey that included both confidentiality and non-solicitation provisions. Busey had agreements with the following Former Employee Defendants: Besler, Briscoe, Clark, Gish, Mongiovi, Mouis, Ommen-Welborn, Tjernagel, and Vick.3 Villareal also had an agreement with

Pulaski Bank (“Pulaski”), which he entered into in November 2015.4 Villareal’s agreement with Pulaski included similar non-solicitation, confidentiality, and non-disparagement provisions to those in Busey’s participation agreements. The participation agreements included the following confidentiality provision: Participant acknowledges that the nature of Participant’s employment requires that Participant produce and have access to

3 Exhibit K to the complaint consists of a one-page junior mortgage originator commission and incentive compensation plan, initialed by Weidner. Doc. 1-11 at 2. But this exhibit does not also include a participation agreement, and Busey does not argue that the provisions of the participation agreement apply to her.

4 Busey indicates that Pulaski merged into Busey. records, data, trade secrets and information that are not available to the public (“Confidential Information”) regarding First Busey Corporation and its subsidiaries and affiliates (collectively, “Busey”). Participant shall hold in confidence and not directly or indirectly disclose any Confidential Information to third parties unless disclosure becomes reasonably necessary in connection with Participant’s performance of Participant’s duties, or the Confidential Information lawfully becomes available to the public from other sources, or Participant is authorized in writing to disclose it or Participant is required to make disclosure by a law or pursuant to the authority of any administrative agency or judicial body. . . . All Confidential Information and all other records, files, documents and other materials or copies thereof relating to the business of Busey that Participant prepares or uses shall be the sole property of Busey. Doc. 1-1 at 12. The agreements also limited the use of Busey computer systems and networks to “legitimate business purposes on behalf of Busey,” providing that “any other access to or use of such systems, network and equipment is without authorization and is prohibited.” Id.

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