July 30th 10, 10:15 PM
Baltimore-based Belfort Instruments suing fired worker
A Baltimore manufacturer of weather instruments is suing a fired
employee it claims is on an anonymous Internet rampage. Belfort
Instrument says Mark W. Decker has been harassing current Belfort
employees via e-mail, calling the company's customers and partners
alleging unethical business practices, and posting trade secrets on
the Internet. Defendant Decker has an alarming history of engaging
in such 'anonymous' Internet attacks against those who he believes may
have slighted him (including past employers), and, absent a TRO, will
continue his historical pattern of making outrageous and harmful
attacks against the material business interests of Belfort Instrument,
reads Belfort's complaint, filed earlier this month in Baltimore
County Circuit Court. Belfort, which obtained a temporary restraining
order against Decker on Nov. 15, is suing him for misappropriating
trade secrets, breach of contract, defamation and tortious
interference with contractual relations. The company is seeking $1
million. After consulting with his client, Belfort attorney Douglas W.
Desmarais declined to speak about the case. My client's position is
that this is a dispute that they have chosen to resolve through legal
channels, and they're going to let it play out through legal channels,
Desmarais said. Decker could not be located for comment; his phone
number is unlisted and a reverse search of his Annapolis, MD address
produced no results. According to the complaint, when Decker started
working for Belfort in 2001, he signed a contract promising that, if
he left the company, for two years afterward he would not say negative
things about it; if he did, he would face court action. He is also
bound by the Maryland Uniform Trade Secrets Act not to divulge
privileged information, Belfort says. Decker was fired on Oct. 20 of
this year and then started to harass his ex-girlfriend, still a
Belfort employee, via e- mail, the suit reads. He also allegedly e-
mailed the company's general mailbox anonymously, promising to fight
back against the company and drive it out of business. The company
also claims he called their customers and made untrue allegations.
Decker also used an Internet newsgroup to criticize the Belfort
product he had been in charge of marketing, the DigiWx AWOS digital
weather transmitter, calling it Digi****, Belfort claims. He also
allegedly listed which of Belfort's customers were using DigiWx. The
motion does not state how Belfort knows that Decker is behind the
anonymous e-mails, phone calls and Internet postings, but a letter
from Desmarais to Decker warns that Belfort can easily trace the
communications to Decker. Belfort also claims that Decker has a
history of using pseudonyms to criticize whoever has offended [him] on
a particular day. Indeed, a search of Google's newsgroups shows lots
of chatter about Decker, including several posts purporting to
unmask him as the anonymous source of negative comments about
Baltimore.
Mark W. Decker (the "weiner" he whirls)
Jennifer Lynn Decker (Racey)
289 Long Point Road (assessed value of $968,280 as of 1/1/05)
Crownsville, MD 21032
DOB: January 7, 1957 according to http://anybirthday.com
markwdecker (at) gmail.com
SSN: 212-60-0049
A Baltimore manufacturer of weather instruments is suing a fired
employee it claims is on an anonymous Internet rampage. Belfort
Instrument says Mark W. Decker has been harassing current Belfort
employees via e-mail, calling the company's customers and partners
alleging unethical business practices, and posting trade secrets on
the Internet. Defendant Decker has an alarming history of engaging
in such 'anonymous' Internet attacks against those who he believes may
have slighted him (including past employers), and, absent a TRO, will
continue his historical pattern of making outrageous and harmful
attacks against the material business interests of Belfort Instrument,
reads Belfort's complaint, filed earlier this month in Baltimore
County Circuit Court. Belfort, which obtained a temporary restraining
order against Decker on Nov. 15, is suing him for misappropriating
trade secrets, breach of contract, defamation and tortious
interference with contractual relations. The company is seeking $1
million. After consulting with his client, Belfort attorney Douglas W.
Desmarais declined to speak about the case. My client's position is
that this is a dispute that they have chosen to resolve through legal
channels, and they're going to let it play out through legal channels,
Desmarais said. Decker could not be located for comment; his phone
number is unlisted and a reverse search of his Annapolis, MD address
produced no results. According to the complaint, when Decker started
working for Belfort in 2001, he signed a contract promising that, if
he left the company, for two years afterward he would not say negative
things about it; if he did, he would face court action. He is also
bound by the Maryland Uniform Trade Secrets Act not to divulge
privileged information, Belfort says. Decker was fired on Oct. 20 of
this year and then started to harass his ex-girlfriend, still a
Belfort employee, via e- mail, the suit reads. He also allegedly e-
mailed the company's general mailbox anonymously, promising to fight
back against the company and drive it out of business. The company
also claims he called their customers and made untrue allegations.
Decker also used an Internet newsgroup to criticize the Belfort
product he had been in charge of marketing, the DigiWx AWOS digital
weather transmitter, calling it Digi****, Belfort claims. He also
allegedly listed which of Belfort's customers were using DigiWx. The
motion does not state how Belfort knows that Decker is behind the
anonymous e-mails, phone calls and Internet postings, but a letter
from Desmarais to Decker warns that Belfort can easily trace the
communications to Decker. Belfort also claims that Decker has a
history of using pseudonyms to criticize whoever has offended [him] on
a particular day. Indeed, a search of Google's newsgroups shows lots
of chatter about Decker, including several posts purporting to
unmask him as the anonymous source of negative comments about
Baltimore.
Mark W. Decker (the "weiner" he whirls)
Jennifer Lynn Decker (Racey)
289 Long Point Road (assessed value of $968,280 as of 1/1/05)
Crownsville, MD 21032
DOB: January 7, 1957 according to http://anybirthday.com
markwdecker (at) gmail.com
SSN: 212-60-0049