Baker Hughes Inc. v. S&S CHEMICAL, LLC, 2016, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

In this 2016 decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the
Sixth Circuit upheld the judgment of the United States District
Court for the Western District of Michigan, favoring Bruce
Stevens against Baker Hughes Incorporated and Baker Petrolite
Corporation. The case revolved around allegations that Stevens
breached a confidentiality agreement by disclosing trade
secrets 18 years after his departure from Baker. The crux of the
dispute was a settlement agreement from 2000, which Stevens
argued released him from the confidentiality obligations. The
courts found that the settlement agreement, despite not being
signed by Baker, was a binding contract under Oklahoma law,
effectively barring Baker’s claims of trade secret
misappropriation and breach of contract. This case highlights
the importance of clear contractual terms and the implications
of settlements from unrelated disputes. The decision is an
appeal from the United States District Court for the Western
District of Michigan.