Texas Federal Judge Clears Way for Performance Pulsation Control's Jury Trial Against Sigma Drilling Technologies

DALLAS, March 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A Texas federal judge has ruled that key elements of a lawsuit filed by Performance Pulsation Control (PPC) against Sigma Drilling Technologies can proceed, clearing the way for a jury trial later this year on claims of trade secret theft, breach of fiduciary duty, unfair competition and other claims under the Federal Copyright Act.

U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant's March 11 ruling rejected defendant Sigma Drilling Technologies' motion for summary judgment on the claims against Sigma. The judge said a jury should be allowed to consider PPC's claims that former employee Justin Manley used the company's proprietary trade secrets, filed patent applications, secretly worked to create a competing line of products, and secretly operated a competing business – Sigma – while Manley was still employed as PPC's director of sales and marketing.

"Our economy is built on the fundamental understanding that small businesses such as Performance Pulsation Control must be allowed to protect their hard-earned trade secrets from theft and misuse," said PPC attorney John Palter of Dallas-based Palter Sims Martinez. "This ruling means that PPC has a fair chance to argue its case before a jury and protect its products from unfair competition."

Performance Pulsation Control, based in Richardson, is an industry-leading designer and manufacturer of pulsation dampeners for pumps used in oil, gas and mining operations that protect components from damage and improve their efficiency, reliability and safety. The lawsuit seeks an injunction on Sigma's sale of the products plus monetary damages and a declaratory judgment establishing that PPC is the owner of copyrights and trade secrets in use by Sigma. For more information about PPC, visit https://www.pulsationcontrol.com/.   

The case is Performance Pulsation Control v Sigma Drilling Technologies et al., filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Case No.: 4:17-cv-00450-ALM.

Palter Sims Martinez LLC is a Dallas law firm known for high integrity and trusted counsel on behalf of businesses seeking legal and business solutions to their litigation and transactional matters. For more information about the firm, visit http://www.palterlaw.com/.  

Contact:
Robert Tharp
Androvett Legal Media
214-559-4630
[email protected] 

SOURCE Palter Sims Martinez LLC