February 26, 2014 - Yesterday a federal judge ruled that Kolon Industries Inc. must pay over $18 million in attorneys' fees to DuPont Co. in a case involving trade secrets that Kolon obtained illegally from former DuPont employees.
In September 2011, DuPont was awarded $919.9 million in damages after a jury found that Kolon, a Korean company, had stolen trade secrets and confidential information about DuPont's Kevlar para-aramid fiber products. In October 2012, the FBI reported that Kolon and several of its executives and staff had been indicted for "allegedly engaging in a multi-year campaign to steal trade secrets" from DuPont and Teijin Limited.
Last year, Kolon was unsuccessful in attempting to have the $920 million damages verdict overturned, and this week's development means that the company will not be able to avoid paying the additional $18 million in attorneys' fees. U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne ruled that Kolon could have paid less if the company had not been so contentious during the discovery period.