Significant legal victory against Pediatric Hair Solutions Corporation, Dr. John E. Fassler, and Sheila M. Fassler.
October 2, 2024 Salt Lake City, UT – After more than six years of litigation, Larada Sciences, Inc., dba Lice Clinics of America (“Lice Clinics of America”), recently won a significant legal victory in its two-week jury trial against Pediatric Hair Solutions Corporation (“PHS”), Dr. John E. Fassler (“Dr. Fassler”), and Sheila M. Fassler (“Sheila Fassler”).
The jury’s verdict was clear and decisive. Among other things, it found PHS, Dr. Fassler, and Sheila Fassler liable for breach of contract and misappropriation of trade secrets. Additionally, the jury found that the misappropriation was willful and malicious, and awarded Lice Clinics of America a multi-million-dollar verdict, with compensatory and punitive damages against each of the defendants.
The case stemmed from a violation of trust and intellectual property rights. Lice Clinics of America acquired and developed intellectual property rights in a groundbreaking product using heated air designed to treat head lice in about an hour and without chemicals. As part of their involvement with Lice Clinics of America’s business, Dr. Fassler and Sheila Fassler gained access to Lice Clinics of America’s confidential trade secrets. They then established a competing venture and illicitly disclosed and used Lice Clinics of America’s proprietary information to develop their own product, FloSonix, to compete directly with Lice Clinics of America’s offerings.
“We are gratified by the jury’s verdict, which not only validates our claims but also reflects the seriousness with which we regard the protection of our intellectual property and the continued success and rights of our franchisees who were directly harmed by the illegal actions by PHS, Dr. Fassler and Sheila Fassler,” said Claire Roberts, CEO of Lice Clinics of America. “This outcome is a testament to our commitment to safeguarding our innovations and holding accountable those who seek to undermine our business and the investments of our franchisees through unfair and unlawful means.”
Lice Clinics of America remains dedicated to advancing its mission of empowering parents and caregivers with the safest, most effective head lice treatments that work every time, for everyone, guaranteed. This legal victory reinforces Lice Clinics of America’s resolve to protect its network of independent business owners who are Lice Clinics of America franchisees and to continue delivering high-quality lice treatment services and products to the communities they service across the U.S.
