In today’s technologically complex world, employees often find themselves embroiled in a variety of legal disputes involving their possession of business information obtained from prior employment, competition with former employers, and false statements (defamation) made about them and sometimes by them.

In addition, employers today have expanded capabilities to interfere with employees’ personal lives, including drug testing, monitoring employee internet and social network activity and discovering and using private employee medical information.

Steve Kaplan represents employees and employers in the entire spectrum of these cutting-edge issues. His work includes the representation of employees who have been fired for alleged drug use and personal internet activities, employees who have been sued by their former employers for alleged violation of trade secret and no-competition obligations and employees who have been defamed by their former employers. He has also represented both employers and employees in connection with disputes over the disclosure of private employee medical information.

Key Cases

• Defeated employer lawsuit against employee accused of unlawfully taking proprietary computer technology from a former employer to a new employer.
• Successful representation of employee sued for allegedly violating non-competition agreement he had signed with former employer.
• Successful settlement of wrongful termination claim on behalf of journalist fired for allegedly publicizing confidential and proprietary information of major national broadcaster.
• Defeated breach of privacy claim against employee health benefit plan concerning disclosure of employee HIV condition.
• Second chair with lead attorney Marvin Krakow on landmark California Supreme Court decision delineating state law on employee drug testing. (Loder v. City of Glendale)