Two luxury jewellery brands may soon go head-to-head in court.
Cartier has filed a lawsuit against Tiffany & Co., accusing the brand of ‘stealing trade secrets’ about its high-end jewellery collection via a poached employee, Reuters reports.
The complaint, which was filed in the New York State Supreme Court on Feb. 28, alleges Tiffany & Co. “used quick money and title advancement to lure away an under-qualified employee” for the “express purpose of obtaining information about Cartier.”
The employee left Cartier voluntarily in December 2021, joining Tiffany & Co. as a merchandising manager. Prior to her departure, she had been employed with Cartier for nearly nine years, most recently serving as assistant manager for merchandising/jewellery, the complaint reads.
Cartier’s suit goes on to assert that, during her time with the company, the employee was not involved with the brand’s ‘High Jewelry’ collection, which features pieces typically ranging from US$50,000 to $10 million. The complaint also alleges that, prior to leaving Cartier, the employee sent files containing “sensitive and valuable” information about the high-end line to her personal email account from her work email.
In an affidavit accompanying the complaint, the employee states Tiffany & Co. was “more interested in hiring [her] as a source of information” than as a high-end jewellery manager, Reuters reports. According to court papers, she was terminated from Tiffany & Co. on Feb. 11.
In a released statement, Cartier said, “Cartier fully respects the rights of competitors to pursue their commercial objectives. In this case, however, Tiffany’s commercial ambition crossed the line between the ordinary course of business and unfair competition,” Reuters reports.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction requiring Tiffany & Co. return and not use stolen trade secrets, plus unspecified damages.
When contacted by Reuters, Tiffany & Co. stated, “We deny the baseless allegations and will vigorously defend ourselves.”
The case is ongoing.
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