In a court filing July 23, CoStar Group has asked a judge for an order for expedited discovery in its legal conflict with realtor.com parent Move, Inc. Included in the filing is that James Kaminsky, the CoStar employee formerly employed by Move, who Move claims improperly accessed proprietary information to be used by CoStar, has been placed on paid administrative leave. The precise wording in the filing is as follows:
‘Out of an abundance of caution, CoStar has placed Mr. Kaminsky on administrative leave through the continued hearing date so that he can focus on the defense of this case and to further eliminate any credible claim of imminent or irreparable harm during any continuance the Court may grant. CoStar and Mr. Kaminsky have also engaged a forensic expert to analyze Move’s allegations and the relevant devices of the Defendants and intends to produce the facts uncovered through that analysis both in expedited discovery and in its preliminary injunction briefing.
“Defendants have voluntarily confirmed to Move through their respective counsel that they have not and will not use any Move confidential information that Mr. Kaminsky may have retained or accessed after his termination from Move.”
The case revolves around a data theft lawsuit and comes amid a clash over portal supremacy, especially between CoStar’s homes.com and Move’s realtor.com.
Follow more past developments here:
CoStar: Data-Theft Lawsuit Realtor.com’s Attempt to Deflect Attention From Losing the Portal Battle
Realtor.com Parent Seeks Injunction Against CoStar as ‘Info-Theft’ Lawsuit Maneuvering Continues
In a statement emailed to RISMedia, Gene Boxer, CoStar Group’s General Counsel, wrote:
“As we have said all along, Move’s case is a PR stunt. Every fact points in that direction. Move took a month to file a complaint without ever approaching CoStar, and six weeks to seek an injunction. It has offered not a single fact in support of its core claim that CoStar used Move’s information to compete against Move. And now—stunningly—it is trying to block early discovery and a brief extension of the preliminary injunction hearing to allow for such discovery. Any company with a real trade secret concern wants to uncover the facts, and fast. Move is instead trying to hide the truth. Its request for the Court to enter an overly restrictive protective order is more of the same. Move’s efforts to conceal the truth speaks volumes. By contrast, CoStar is seeking discovery, including about Move’s delays, and is doing so on the fastest possible track. We call upon Move to drop its opposition, and let the truth be known. What is Move scared of?
“Move’s case against CoStar Group is that CoStar is using Move’s trade secrets to compete against it. They have not a shred of evidence to support that claim. The press should be asking Move a direct question: what’s your proof that CoStar used Move’s trade secrets to compete against Move?”
RISMedia sought comment from Move and received this from a Realtor.com spokesperson:
“We don’t comment on pending litigation.”
This is a developing story. Stay tuned to RISMedia for further updates.
