October 25, 2024
Publication: The American Lawyer
Kobre & Kim’s Michael Ng and Daniel Zaheer were named “Litigators of the Week” by The American Lawyer following a major victory for Propel Fuels, Inc. (“Propel”), a leading innovator in the renewable fuels market.
Mr. Ng and Mr. Zaheer spearheaded high-stakes trade secrets misappropriation litigation against Phillips 66, one of the world’s largest petroleum companies, on behalf of Propel. After a five-week trial in the Superior Court of California, the jury concluded that Phillips 66’s renewable fuels business was developed using Propel's trade secrets, violating California’s Uniform Trade Secrets Act. The jury awarded US $604.9 million in unjust enrichment damages, finding Phillips 66's misappropriation willful and malicious.
“For Propel, this case was about vindication, and about validation of its innovations,” Mr. Ng said. “Propel sees this result as important not just for Propel, but for the protection of innovation and the hard work put in to create it.”
Kobre & Kim’s ability to take on industry giants like Phillips 66 and its set of talented trial lawyers equipped the team to obtain a major victory. “Our firm is uniquely positioned to handle precisely this type of dispute—a complex, bet-the-company litigation with hundreds of millions of dollars in controversy, and a high likelihood of proceeding to trial,” Mr. Zaheer explained.
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