OT -> Non Compete

[ILLMAS]

A client of mine called me today with a non accounting or tax question, his question was if he can sue two former employees that went to work for another business like his, and prevent them from sharing his family recipes. I am not an attorney nor do I give any legal advice, but the only thing I can think of in his cause, he has no grounds, first he never discussed this with his employess, nor had them sign some type of document from sharing his family recipies with the competition. His main concern is to keep his family recipe a secret.Just wondering if someone has some experience an issue like this?

Thanks

[kcjenkins]

Talk about locking the barn door after the horse has escaped! I suggest you tell him he is wasting his time. The only way to keep a recipe secret is to keep it secret. You can not teach others how to make it, or let them watch you make it, then later try to declare it 'secret'. The best you can do is to have someone sign, IN ADVANCE, a confidentially agreement, and even those are hard to enforce.