Frederic St. Laurent, a seasoned expert in composite technology, has filed a lawsuit against his former employers, Easton Diamond Sports, LLC and Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc., alleging unlawful enforcement of non-compete obligations. The complaint was lodged by St. Laurent on January 28, 2025, in the Superior Court of California, County of Ventura. He accuses his former employers of attempting to enforce a de facto non-compete clause that violates California's public policy favoring employee mobility.
St. Laurent's career spans over three decades in the field of composite engineering for sports equipment. After relocating from Canada to California in 2016 to work with Easton Baseball/Softball Corp., which later became Easton Diamond Sports, LLC following a reorganization in 2017, he served as the Director of Composites Engineering until May 2024. During this period, Rawlings acquired Easton Diamond but allowed it to operate as a separate entity. St. Laurent claims that after resigning from Easton Diamond and joining Marucci Sports as Vice President of Composite Engineering in May 2024, he received a letter from his former employers accusing him of breaching confidentiality agreements and misappropriating trade secrets under federal and state law.
The crux of the lawsuit lies in the enforcement of a Rawlings Proprietary Information Agreement acknowledged by St. Laurent in February 2022. This agreement included both a Missouri choice-of-law provision and broad confidentiality terms that purportedly support an "inevitable disclosure" doctrine recognized by Missouri law but rejected by California courts. The defendants argue that St. Laurent’s new role at Marucci inevitably leads to the use or disclosure of their confidential information—a stance that effectively imposes a non-compete restriction.
St. Laurent is challenging these assertions under several California statutes designed to protect employee rights within the state. He seeks declaratory relief under California Labor Code § 925, which invalidates forum selection and choice-of-law provisions waiving California legal protections for employees; California Business & Professions Code § 16600 et seq., which prohibits non-compete clauses; and California Business & Professions Code § 17200 et seq., which addresses unfair competition practices.
The plaintiff is requesting that the court declare these provisions void and unenforceable under California law, award him actual damages for any losses incurred due to these alleged violations, and cover his attorney fees as permitted by relevant statutes.
Representing Frederic St. Laurent are attorneys Laura D. Smolowe and Claire Rogerson from Munger Tolles & Olson LLP based in Los Angeles, along with Michael K. Leachman, P.J Kee, and Jason Culotta from Jones Walker LLP located in Louisiana. The case is presided over by judges at the Ventura Superior Court under Case No.#025 CUIDOEOS S60.