Jarrad Goulding was employed as a Client Account Manager, he secretly worked with a partner (Stephen) to establish a competing business, TestCorp. Within only a month—and while still drawing a salary—Jarrad Goulding took extensive preparatory steps, including registering a domain name, completing industry certifications, and purchasing testing equipment. He essentially used his position as a "springboard" to launch a sophisticated competitor.
A central element of the trial was the "Post-it Notes" evidence. The Court found that Jarrad Goulding secretly copied sensitive client data—including contact names, service volumes, and pricing—onto 239 Post-it Notes. This information was then used to systematically solicit clients by offering identical services at lower prices. While Jarrad Goulding claimed he was merely rewriting his partner's illegible notes, the Judge found his testimony "untruthful" and the correlation between the notes and database too precise to be a coincidence.
Beyond client lists, Jarrad Goulding admitted to taking and adapting internal operating documents. He used these to create master quote templates and order forms for TestCorp. This allowed his new business to enter the market appearing as a "sophisticated operator" from day one.
A pivotal demonstration of this deceptive strategy's efficacy was the securing of a lucrative contract with a major account just 48 hours before Goulding's resignation. This "success" was directly facilitated by the illicit use of misappropriated data found on the Post-it Notes, proving that the competitor was built not on fair market entry, but on the systematic exploitation of stolen proprietary information.
Jarrad Goulding breached his fiduciary duties, his duty of fidelity, and his duty of good faith.