Litigation and Enterprise Case Study

Worldwide Intellectual Property Case

Two employees and a manager left a large chemical manufacturing company with offices and facilities in New York, New Jersey, Texas, China and Argentina. The two employees and the manager had emailed a customer contact database, invoicing information, financial data and proprietary information to their home computer in an attempt to steal intellectual property. The employees believed they were untraceable since they emailed the information to their home computers and deleted the emails. The allegations were firmly denied. The company receiving the information denied having any knowledge of the transfer or the existence of the information acquired from the client's company.

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Intellectual Property

Bagged hard drive beside a forensic write blocker.

Matter type: Intellectual Property
Evidence involved: computers; servers; email; backup media
Deliverables: correlated emails and source records; technical discovery support

Forensic Engagement and Methodology

GDF worked with the attorneys to draft discovery requests, write questions for interrogatories and depositions and ultimately analyze data received from opposing counsel. After identifying several sources of evidence, including the mail servers that received the information, several sets of backup tapes and the database itself, GDF was able to extract relevant data from those sources. The desktop systems used by the former employees were forensically analyzed and the original emails were extracted. GDF correlated dates, times, email and related records to support counsel’s assessment of the transfer and the receiving company’s knowledge.

Resolution and Courtroom Outcome

The reconstructed emails and correlated records supported the attorneys' assessment of the transfer and the receiving company's knowledge. GDF later assisted with discovery planning, deposition support and further data correlation.

The technical work concerned whether the transfer occurred and what the receiving company knew. The correlation report gave counsel the technical basis for the damages assessment.

Complementary Forensic and Security Services

Services related to this matter.

Confidentiality

Client identities and sensitive details are omitted. The organization is described generically, and no client mark appears on this site. Details are preserved from the original case record.

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Consult a Senior Examiner on A Suspected Intellectual Property Transfer

Describe the material, accounts and time period involved in the suspected transfer. We arrange a secure way to share evidence after we speak.

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Reviewed by Joseph Caruso, Founder, CEO and CTO, CISSP. Last reviewed November 3, 2026.