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Littler Mendelson, a US-based employment law firm, has secured a protective order to shield confidential information it alleged a former associate had taken. The protective order, issued on 17 March, stated that any information relating to Littler’s clients would be deemed confidential unless publicly available. In a petition filed on 3 March, Littler claimed that Uliana Kozeychuk, a former associate, had uploaded more than 7,900 documents to an external Dropbox before quitting her job on 23 February. Littler further alleged that the documents included client information and Littler documents that did not belong to Kozeychuk.
Kozeychuk denied the allegations, stating that the documents she uploaded were personal. She also claimed that she had been targeted for raising complaints about abuse by Littler partners. Kozeychuk launched a social media campaign using the hashtag “#TimesUpLittler” and pledged to “drain [the] Littler swamp” on LinkedIn.
Littler claimed that Kozeychuk made allegations against various Littler shareholders in November 2022, which were investigated and found unsupported. Kozeychuk allegedly uploaded the documents under the Family and Medical Leave Act while on leave. Littler’s general counsel George Wood first confronted Kozeychuk about downloading over 3,100 documents in an email on 19 February. Following the email, Kozeychuk uploaded the 7,900-plus documents to Dropbox. Littler placed Kozeychuk on unpaid leave on 21 February and demanded the return of the information, which she refused to do on 23 February.
According to the petition, Kozeychuk responded, “Let me make something clear. Absent a court order regarding the same, I will not provide the Littler IT department or anyone else with my private account log-in info and access to my private files. I have years of private photos and documents in there, among other things, that I do not wish to have anyone peruse and to violate my privacy rights based on some false and defamatory accusation. Go to court, prove that I did anything wrong, get a court order, and gladly comply. We both know this will never happen.”Â
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Littler released a statement to Bloomberg Law saying that Kozeychuk had chosen to publicly discuss grievances against the firm, including allegations that were investigated during her time at Littler and found to have no factual support. The statement also said that Littler is taking all necessary steps to protect client and firm documents.
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Kozeychuk previously advised clients on Russian employment law issues. It is unclear what specific documents were taken or how they could be used. However, Littler has expressed concerns about protecting confidential information and has taken steps to protect client and firm documents.
In conclusion, the legal battle between Littler Mendelson and former associate Uliana Kozeychuk continues as Littler accuses her of uploading over 7,900 confidential documents to an external Dropbox before quitting her job. While Kozeychuk claims the documents are personal, Littler maintains that they contain client information and confidential documents that do not belong to her. The protective order obtained by Littler shields sensitive information and deems any information on Littler clients confidential unless it is publicly available. The case underscores the importance of protecting confidential client information and the need for companies to have policies and procedures in place to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information.
