Employment agency accuses Cy-Fair resident of stealing trade secrets

An Oklahoma-based employment solutions company is suing after, it says, two former employees pilfered its proprietary information to open a competing business in Houston.

Abundant Solutions filed a lawsuit on Nov. 17 in Harris County District Court against Tom Cathey, Cy-Fair resident Kathy Rios and Tier One Personnel, citing usurpation of corporate opportunity, tortious interference, unfair competition, misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of duty and conversion.

Abundant Solutions says that after it hired Cathey and Rios in June, it discovered the two misused its proprietary information to open a competing business, Tier One.

The suit further alleges on Sept. 2, Cathey resigned from Abundant, closed its Houston location, locked it out of its computers and opened Tier One on the same floor of the same building.

Abundant Solutions is seeking actual and punitive damages, as well as court costs. It is being represented in the case by Dallas attorney Clay Hartmann.

Harris County District Court Case No. 2011-69836.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed at the Harris County Courthouse. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.