According to FreightWaves, Imperative Logistics LLC and subsidiary DTH Expeditors LLC filed a lawsuit on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia against Alabama Motor Express (AMX Expedited), former employee Joseph Cochran, and former employee Mary Evette Jones, alleging coordinated misappropriation of trade secrets and breach of restrictive covenants.
Lawsuit targets workforce raid and data exfiltration
The complaint seeks injunctive relief, compensatory and exemplary damages, attorneys’ fees, and other costs. Imperative Logistics, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, acquired DTH Expeditors in February 2025. Jones had worked for DTH and Imperative since 2000 and served as director of operations until her departure on Feb. 10; Cochran, an area sales representative since 2005, resigned on March 30. Both subsequently joined AMX, which is based in Ashford, Alabama, and operates with 234 power units and 234 drivers, per Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration data.
Imperative alleges that five employees from the same office left in rapid succession to join AMX — a pattern it characterizes as a “targeted and coordinated effort to raid Imperative’s workforce.” The lawsuit asserts that AMX encouraged these departures not only to acquire personnel but also to gain access to confidential customer lists, pricing information, active shipment data, and competitive bid details — all protected under signed restrictive covenant agreements.
The company claims Cochran sent or blind-copied confidential documents — including margin and pricing data, sales codes, and logistics operation specifics — to his personal email shortly before leaving. Imperative contends he retained this information to inform AMX’s competing bids, particularly against an unnamed longtime client referred to as “Client A.” After joining AMX, Cochran allegedly arranged a lunch with Client A even after Imperative sent cease-and-desist letters — an invitation mistakenly forwarded to his former company email address.
Evidence of post-employment system access
Imperative alleges Jones accessed its Google Drive systems on April 9 and April 14 — nearly two months after her resignation — viewing at least 36 confidential files. These included standard operating procedures, rate sheets, quality policies, and weekly operational notes concerning Client A. The company states such access required deliberate login and navigation, indicating intentional retrieval of sensitive information related to pricing, shipments, financial data, and bids.
Imperative further alleges Jones used that information to solicit its customers on behalf of AMX. The lawsuit specifies that the unauthorized computer access by Jones alone resulted in at least $5,000 in investigation, forensic analysis, security, and remediation costs — a figure explicitly cited in the complaint under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act claim.
The company sent AMX cease-and-desist letters on June 5 concerning the five former employees. AMX’s attorney acknowledged receipt on July 14, recognizing the allegations regarding restrictive covenants and tortious interference — yet Imperative claims AMX continued employing Cochran and Jones in roles involving direct customer solicitation without enforcing compliance.
Legal claims and requested remedies
The lawsuit asserts seven counts, including violations of the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act and Georgia Trade Secrets Act, breach of contract against Cochran and Jones, tortious interference against AMX, and a Computer Fraud and Abuse Act claim against Jones. Imperative is asking the court to prohibit defendants from using its trade secrets or confidential information and from improperly soliciting its customers or employees.
It also seeks return or destruction of all company information in the defendants’ possession. While compensatory damages are unspecified, Imperative requests disgorgement of alleged unjust enrichment and exemplary damages of up to twice the compensatory award under applicable federal and Georgia statutes. Neither Imperative Logistics nor AMX responded to a request for comment from FreightWaves.
Source: FreightWaves
Compiled from international media by the SCI.AI editorial team.
