K.R. Komarek, Inc., a leader in briquetting and compaction solutions, has filed a lawsuit against a former employee and his consulting firm for allegedly stealing trade secrets to unfairly compete with the company. The complaint was lodged by K.R. Komarek, Inc. in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on April 16, 2025, targeting John E. Bygrave and his firm, Bygrave International, LLC.
The case revolves around accusations that John E. Bygrave, who served as Director of Sales and Marketing at Komarek for over two decades until May 2023, misappropriated confidential information from the company under false pretenses of retirement. Instead of retiring, Bygrave is alleged to have formed Bygrave International to compete directly with Komarek using stolen proprietary data. According to the complaint, Bygrave downloaded extensive sensitive information including Komarek’s proprietary pricing tool, customer details from its CRM software, internal product specifications, and email records before leaving the company.
Komarek claims that these actions were part of a calculated scheme by Bygrave to gain an unfair competitive advantage in the market for briquetting and compaction services. The complaint highlights how Bygrave used this confidential information to solicit business from Komarek’s clients post-retirement. It also accuses him of advising clients based on insights he could only have obtained through unauthorized access to Komarek's trade secrets.
The plaintiff is seeking multiple forms of relief from the court: an injunction preventing further use or dissemination of its trade secrets by the defendants; an order requiring return and accounting of all stolen data; monetary damages exceeding $75,000; exemplary damages due to willful misconduct; reimbursement for legal fees; and other appropriate remedies as deemed fit by the court.
Representing K.R. Komarek in this legal battle are attorneys Isaiah A. Fishman and Heather Kuhn O’Toole from Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle LLC based in Chicago. The case has been assigned Case No. 25-4175 but does not yet list a presiding judge.