Kaplan Professional Sues Dalton Education, LLC for Misappropriation of Its Trade Secrets and an Unlawful Scheme to Steal Its Clients

LA CROSSE, Wis.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Kaplan Professional, part of Kaplan, Inc., a global education provider,
filed a lawsuit in federal court against a competitor, Dalton Education,
LLC, for misappropriating valuable trade secrets, in support of an
unlawful scheme to steal Kaplan Professional’s clients in the financial
planning sector.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District
of Wisconsin in Madison, seeks immediate injunctive relief in addition
to unspecified compensatory and punitive damages from Dalton Education
and two individually named defendants.

The lawsuit alleges a scheme whereby Dalton Education recruited sales
employees from Kaplan Professional over a period of time with the
express intent of using Kaplan Professional’s confidential and
proprietary information to help grow its own business, including, among
other things, a senior-level Dalton manager intentionally soliciting a
Kaplan Professional employee to tell him confidential information in
order to “steal” business from Kaplan Professional. Both companies
provide continuing education, licensing and certification for employees
in the financial planning field and compete for the same or similar
clients.

The two individual defendants named in the lawsuit allegedly shared
highly confidential proprietary information with Dalton Education, while
still Kaplan Professional employees.

The lawsuit describes the various levels of protection Kaplan employs to
safeguard its intellectual property and trade secrets, including IT
security and Confidentiality and Restriction Agreements with employees
governing their use of company information. Those protocols were
violated, the lawsuit claims, by the defendants.

The claim against Dalton Education and the individual defendants
includes nine counts of unlawful behavior, including violation of trade
secrets, computer fraud and abuse, tortious interference with Kaplan
Professional’s prospective economic advantage, and unfair competition.

About Kaplan Professional

Kaplan is a leading international provider of training and education
services operating in more than 30 countries and working with over
10,000 corporations and businesses globally. Kaplan Professional helps
professionals obtain and maintain in-demand certifications, licenses and
designations that enable them to advance and succeed in their careers.
Through live and online instruction, Kaplan Professional provides test
preparation, licensing, continuing education, and professional
development programs to businesses and individuals in the accounting,
engineering, insurance, securities, real estate, financial planning, and
information technology industries. Kaplan, Inc. is part of the Graham
Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC).

Contacts

MEDIA:
Mark Harrad
212 974-6231
Mark.Harrad@kaplan.com