Delivering Sweet Victory to dōTERRA

After a five-week trial, a team of Ballard Spahr litigators secured a jury verdict in favor of their clients in a $350 million contract, trade secret infringement, and unlawful competition lawsuit brought by a competitor. The clients were founding distributors of Pleasant Grove-based dōTERRA, a leading manufacturer and distributor of therapeutic grade essential oils.

Young Living Essential Oils claimed that the clients—former employees of Young Living—retained computers and documents that may have contained confidential information and used them to give dōTERRA a competitive advantage. Young Living also claimed that the clients wrongfully solicited Young Living distributors for dōTERRA. Although Young Living initially alleged damages of more than $350 million, by the start of the trial in May, the team had successfully narrowed nine claims down to a single breach of contract claim with alleged damages of $12.8 million. The jury rejected Young Living's claims and returned a defense verdict in favor of the clients, finding they did not breach their contractual obligations.

The Ballard Spahr team was led by Mark R. Gaylord, Managing Partner of the firm's Salt Lake City office, and included Tyler M. Hawkins. Assisting the trial team were Jason D. Boren, Nathan R. Marigoni, and Trista J. Lawson.