Kansas Supreme Court - 99536 – Wolfe Electric, Inc. v. Duckworth

—which otherwise would perhaps allow us to salvage part of the verdict—require us to
reverse and remand.
FACTS
Wolfe Electric is a Wichita business that manufactures conveyor pizza ovens. Ron
Wolfe served as the CEO of Wolfe Electric, and his brother, Gary Wolfe, was one of its
engineers.
Wolfe Electric hired defendant Duckworth as a human resources consultant in 2003.
In early 2004, Duckworth and Ron Wolfe discussed the possibility of Duckworth serving
as president. Wolfe Electric's attorney drafted an employment contract, which Duckworth
signed. Duckworth then began his work as president.
The contract included Paragraph 7 entitled "Restrictive Covenant and
Nondisclosure of Information." Subparagraph "a" contained Duckworth's
acknowledgment of Wolfe Electric's trade secrets, several of which were identified:
"a. Employee agrees that as a necessary part of his employment with Employer,
he has access to certain facts and information and data including, but not necessarily
limited to, pricing lists; parts and equipment inventory; identity of suppliers and discount
or rebate schedules; names and addresses of customers, both past and current, of
Employer; projections of future needs of customers; and like and similar facts,
information and data which Employee stipulates and agrees is a trade secret, the same
having been gathered, interpreted and maintained by Employer at the sole cost and
expense of Employer, over a period of many years."
Subsection "b" contained Duckworth's agreement not to reveal or use Wolfe
Electric's trade secrets or classified information after his employment ended:
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