Indeck Energy Servs., Inc. v. Depodesta

• Decision Date: 30 December 2019
• Docket Number: No. 2-19-0043,2-19-0043
• Citation: 2019 IL App (2d) 190043,445 Ill.Dec. 61,165 N.E.3d 913
• Parties: INDECK ENERGY SERVICES, INC., Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Christopher M. DEPODESTA, Karl G. Dahlstrom, and Halyard Energy Ventures, LLC, Defendants-Appellees.
• Court: United States Appellate Court of Illinois

2019 IL App (2d) 190043

165 N.E.3d 913

445 Ill.Dec. 61

INDECK ENERGY SERVICES, INC., Plaintiff-Appellant,

v.Christopher M. DEPODESTA, Karl G. Dahlstrom, and Halyard Energy Ventures, LLC, Defendants-Appellees.

No. 2-19-0043

Appellate Court of Illinois, Second District.

Opinion filed December 30, 2019

JUSTICE JORGENSENdelivered the judgment of the court, with opinion.

¶ 1PlaintiffIndeck Energy Services, Inc.(Indeck), sued defendantsChristopher M. DePodesta, Karl G. Dahlstrom, Halyard Energy Ventures, LLC(HEV), and Halyard Energy Wharton, LLC.¹Indeck alleged breach of contract and sought injunctive relief to enforce its confidentiality and noncompetition agreement (Confidentiality Agreement) against DePodesta and Dahlstrom (count I) and to enjoin them from using or disclosing seven of Indeck's claimed trade secrets ( 765 ILCS 1065/1 et seq.(West 2014))(count II).Indeck also alleged conspiracy (count III), breach of fiduciary duty (count IV), and usurpation of two corporate opportunities (count V).

¶ 2 During a bench trial, at the close of Indeck's case-in-chief, the trial court directed a finding in defendants' favor on count I, finding that (1) the Confidentiality Agreement was void and unenforceable, (2) Indeck did not prove that it would be irreparably harmed if an injunction did not issue, and (3) Indeck did not prove that it was damaged.Indeck appeals the court's finding that the Confidentiality Agreement was void and unenforceable, but it does not appeal the remaining findings on count I.

¶ 3 As to the count II, the trade secrets claim, the trial court directed a partial finding in defendants' favor, determining that Indeck did not prove that three of the seven claimed trade secrets were entitled to trade secret protection.Indeck does not appeal this ruling.

¶ 4The trial court also directed a finding in defendants' favor on count V, the usurpation claim, finding that Indeck did not prove that defendants could be held liable for allegedly usurping either of the two corporate opportunities.Indeck appeals the court's finding as to one of the opportunities.

¶ 5 The trial continued on the remaining counts.At the end of defendants' case-in-chief and before the trial court entered its rulings, Indeck moved to reconsider the directed finding on count V.The trial court denied the motion as untimely, finding that, because the motion was filed over one year after the entry of the directed finding, granting it would prejudice defendants.The court also denied the motion on the merits, finding that the opportunity at issue was still available to Indeck in 2013 and at the time of trial.Indeck appeals the denial of its motion to reconsider.

¶ 6 At the end of the trial, the trial court entered judgment in Indeck's favor on count II's remaining four trade secret claims, entering a permanent injunction enjoining defendants from using or disclosing those trade secrets for three years.Indeck does not appeal this ruling.The court dismissed count III as duplicative of count IV.Indeck does not appeal the dismissal.

¶ 7The trial court also entered judgment in Indeck's favor on count IV, for breach of fiduciary duty, finding that Dahlstrom and DePodesta breached their duties of loyalty to Indeck from March 13, 2013, until their resignations from Indeck in November 2013.It ordered them to disgorge their Indeck salaries for that period.This ruling is not at issue on appeal.The trial court also denied Indeck's request for a constructive trust on the profits that DePodesta and Dahlstrom might earn from their new enterprise and denied Indeck prejudgment interest and disgorgement of any compensation they earned afterthey resigned from Indeck.Indeck appeals only the denial of a constructive trust and of postresignation compensation.

¶ 8We reverse the trial court's directed finding on the usurpation claim, affirm in all other respects, and remand the case for further proceedings.

¶ 9 I. BACKGROUND

¶ 10 Indeck, based in Buffalo Grove, owns, operates, and develops independent power-generation projects.DePodesta, who resides in Elmhurst, was one of the company's officers and its vice president of business development.He had overall responsibility for Indeck's electrical-generation-project development, and his duties were to find new business opportunities and partners and to develop business for Indeck.DePodesta had been an energy developer since 1990.When he started working at Indeck in 2000, he was a project manager.DePodesta left Indeck in 2005 and worked as a mechanical engineer.He returned to Indeck in 2007 as the company's manager of business development, and, in 2011, he became vice president of business development.DePodesta supervised Dahlstrom and Kelly Inns, an engineer.(The three comprised Indeck's business development group.)DePodesta resigned from Indeck on November 1, 2013.

¶ 11 When DePodesta became Indeck's vice president of business development, he was not told what it meant to be an officer or given a copy of the company's bylaws.He had no authority to make decisions for Indeck.He could obtain proposals from consultants and make recommendations, but the decisions on whom to use were made by Larry Lagowski, Indeck's president.DePodesta had the authority to sign contracts, to spend up to $10,000, and to make recommendations for services and products.DePodesta could sign confidentiality agreements on Indeck's behalf but could change only the background section and party names without approval from the company's legal department.Indeck's bylaws provided that only the company's chairman and Lagowski could execute bonds, mortgages, and other contracts, except where the board of directors delegated that power to another officer or agent, including vice presidents.

¶ 12 Dahlstrom, who resides in Winnetka, had been an energy developer since 2002.He began working for Indeck in 2011 as its director of business development and reported to DePodesta.Dahlstrom worked on gas, solar, and wind energy developments.His "job was to find opportunities and bring them back" to Indeck, including those involving "development of turbines" and "potential partners."Dahlstrom resigned from Indeck on November 4, 2013.

¶ 13 In 2010, Dahlstrom formed HEV, to consult and provide management and administration services for the development of electric power generation projects.HEV is a Delaware limited liability company that was registered on February 22, 2010.Prior to November 4, 2013, the company operated out of Dahlstrom's residence in Winnetka.DePodesta and Dahlstrom are members of HEV.When DePodesta left Indeck, he went to work for HEV.

¶ 14 In 2011, Lagowski directed DePodesta and Dahlstrom to determine "whether or not it made sense to develop natural gas and, if so, where to go to develop."DePodesta and Dahlstrom prepared a confidential and proprietary natural gas development plan.Indeck's board approved the development of natural-gas-power-plant projects in the Electrical Reliability Council of Texas(ERCOT),² and DePodesta and Dahlstrom identified a site in Wharton County, Texas, for development.(They identified four other sites for development in ERCOT.In 2013, Indeck submitted initial screening studies to ERCOT for seven potential sites.)DePodesta could not sign contracts without Lagowski's prior approval, including for the ERCOT projects.On February 20, 2013, Lagowski sent an e-mail stating, "I don't want anyone signing any contracts on the Texas projects until I've released them."

¶ 15 In August 2013, DePodesta and Dahlstrom were looking for new jobs because they were unhappy at Indeck.That month, they interviewed with Merced Capital Partners, L.P.(Merced), to become consultants and to manage natural-gas-power-plant projects.Again, they resigned from Indeck in November 2013.

¶ 16 A. The Alleged Corporate Opportunities

¶ 17 Merced is a privately held registered investment adviser that specializes in alternative investment strategies and manages about $2 billion in assets.(It was previously known as EBF & Associates, L.P.(EBF))Merced Partners III, L.P.(Merced III), one of Merced's investment funds, owns Carson Bay Energy Ventures IV, LLC(Carson Bay).

¶ 18 Indeck alleged that DePodesta and Dahlstrom took from it two opportunities: (1) the contribution of two grey-market (i.e. , manufactured but not yet installed or operated) General Electric simple-cycle turbines owned by Carson Bay(Carson Bay turbines) in exchange for equity in Indeck's natural-gas-power-plant development (Turbine Opportunity), and (2) a partnership with Merced to develop natural gas power plants in ERCOT (Funding Opportunity).

¶ 19Carson Bay purchased the turbines for $19 million each in 2010, hoping to resell them.By 2013, the cost of purchasing, storing, and maintaining the turbines required that Carson Bay sell them for more than $50 million.Merced and Carson Bay had received no offers and were eager to find a purchaser.

¶ 20 On March 5, 2013, Indeck and Carson Bay entered into a mutual confidentiality agreement (MCA).DePodesta signed it on Indeck's behalf.The MCA provided that the parties would enter into discussions concerning both the Funding Opportunity and the Turbine Opportunity.The agreement's initial term was two years, and it precluded the parties from hiring or soliciting each other's employees.On March 8, 2013, Hendrik Vroege, the Merced partner in charge of the Carson Bay turbines, conducted a call in which only DePodesta and Dahlstrom participated for Indeck.

¶ 21 In its complaint, Indeck alleged that DePodesta and Dahlstrom planned to usurp both opportunities, which were within Indeck's line of business.As part of their plan, DePodesta and Dahlstrom pursued Vroege and others at Carson Bay to discuss working with them.Although aware that Carson Bay would consider contributing its turbines to an Indeck project, DePodesta and Dahlstrom provided false information on the subject to Lagowski and senior management.S...