Trade Secrets and Televangelism

From the San Jose Mercury News, a story about a California lawsuit in which a California man has sued Georgia-based televangelist, Creflo Dollar (he’s the one pictured in the white suit), with stealing her ideas and trade secrets.

According to the story, the lawsuit was filed by Devone Lawson of Marina del Rey who is seeking in excess of $10 million for breach of nondisclosure agreement, fraud, unjust enrichment, civil conspiracy, breach of contract, and misappropriation of trade secrets.

Lawson claims that he spent 2004 working with Dollar's World Changers Church International ministry on a subscription service that would send daily inspirational text messages to church members' cell phones.
He claims that Dollar pulled the plug on him and went with another company for the service. The Mercury News reports that attorneys for Lawson estimate the $4.99 per month subscription service generates more than $50 million a year in revenue.

Hardly chump change.