Reeves v. Hanlon

95 P.3d 513, 33 Cal. 4th 1140 (2004)

From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Reeves v. Hanlon

California Supreme Court
95 P.3d 513, 33 Cal. 4th 1140 (2004)

  • Written by Rose VanHofwegen, JD

Facts

Attorney Robert L. Reeves and his law firm, Robert L. Reeves & Associates, A Professional Law Corporation (plaintiffs) sued two attorneys who left, Daniel Hanlon and Colin Greene, and their new firm, Hanlon & Greene, A Professional Corporation (defendants). Reeves’s firm specialized in immigration and litigation. Greene had chaired Reeves’s litigation department, and Hanlon had handled over 500 matters. Greene and Hanlon resigned abruptly without notice, leaving no status reports or lists of deadlines in pending cases, and destroyed computer files containing client documents and forms. Hanlon and Greene also cultivated discontent among Reeves’s employees and lured away six at-will employees. In addition, Hanlon and Greene misappropriated information from a list of 2,200 clients and mailed out a letter announcing Hanlon & Greene. Reeves’s firm had already begun using the name Reeves and Hanlon, and the announcement did not say what had happened to Reeves or that his firm still existed. Many clients lacked fluent English and thought Reeves had died or gone out of business. Reeves conducted his own mail campaign to reassure clients his firm could still serve them. Hanlon and Greene also used the data to telephone and solicit numerous clients directly. Reeves lost 144 clients to Hanlon & Greene over the next year and sued alleging multiple causes of action, including interference with employee contracts and misappropriation of trade secrets under the Uniform Trade Secrets Act (UTSA). The trial court awarded Reeves over $182,000 in damages. After the appellate court affirmed, Hanlon and Greene again appealed, specifically disputing whether an employer could recover for interference with at-will-employment contracts by a third party and whether using the client list to send out an announcement violated the UTSA.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Baxter, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 815,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership