Mark Wright Defends Breach of Contract Lawsuit

  ORLANDO, FLORIDA - 05/26/2017 (PRESS RELEASE JET)

Mark Wright is the defendant in a lawsuit filed in the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida by The Closing Agent (TCA), an Orange County company that provides residential and commercial real estate closing and title services. Wright, a former company Senior Vice President, held several positions at The Closing Agent from April, 2003 to April, 2016. The suit alleges that Wright broke confidentiality and non-compete agreements he made with TCA, causing that company to suffer continuing and on-going loss in the form of broken business relationships, a diminution of its business goodwill and reputation, and significant reductions in revenue along with other monetary damages.

As a fiduciary corporate officer and most recently as Senior Vice President of the company, Mark Wright was responsible for the overall operation of TCA’s business. Wright played a significant role in strategic planning, managing the business, developing and maintaining TCA’s business reputation in the community, and ensuring the Company’s success and profitability. Tasked with providing services to TCA’s clients, Wright maintained relationships with a number of real estate agents and brokers, mortgage lenders and brokers, title insurance underwriters, and many other individuals key to the company’s successful operations. Wright was privy to non-public and sensitive corporate information including financial and performance records, pricing structures, customer lists, software systems, business levels, expansion and marketing strategies, and employee files among other matters. 

In October, 2009, Wright entered into an Employment and Non-Competition Agreement with The Closing Agent. The agreement outlined terms of Wright’s employment with TCA including duties and responsibilities, non-disclosure requirements, restrictive covenants, and other provisions. Among the restrictive covenants, Wright agreed to a six-month non-compete, non-solicitation covenant. In March of 2016, Wright announced his resignation from TCA, citing burn out and the need to spend more time with family. 

The Closing Agent’s suit against Mark Wright alleges that the former employee’s actual intent was to breach his fiduciary obligations and contractual commitments by illegally using his knowledge of TCA operations and client and referral networks in the development and organization of a competing operation that would divert business away from The Closing Agent. Wright is also alleged to have maliciously damaged the company’s business reputation and relationships with clients and employees. 

Sources close to the case report that among the evidence Carlos J. Burruezo, attorney for TCA, has presented in support of the 11-count suit are emails sent by Mark Wright while still working at TCA and informing TCA clients of his upcoming departure from the company while at the same time soliciting future business from them. The Closing Agent is requesting injunctive relief including enforcement of the terms of Wright’s non-compete and confidentiality agreements along with attorney fees and monetary damages in excess of $15,000. The lawsuit is currently being heard in the Orange County Circuit Court's Complex Civil Litigation Division, Judge Julie H O'Kane presiding.