(The Center Square) – Dun & Bradstreet faces a lawsuit from ESG data firm Heal R World, which claims the financial data giant misused confidential information and cut it out of joint business opportunities.
In an amended complaint filed Feb. 19 in Somerset County Superior Court, Heal R World says it signed a distribution agreement, a non-disclosure agreement, and a referral agreement with D&B between 2021 and 2022. The documents laid out terms for co-selling, data sharing, and confidentiality, but the plaintiff alleges D&B violated all three.
“Defendant repeatedly violated the terms of the Agreement, NDA and the Referral Agreement by using Plaintiff’s confidential and proprietary information for its own benefit in competition against Plaintiff and otherwise to the detriment of Plaintiff,” the lawsuit says.
Heal R World accuses D&B of using inside information to undercut a joint proposal involving the Department of Defense.
“Defendant had decided to submit a competitive proposal directly to the DoD instead of including Plaintiff in its bid,” the complaint alleges.
It claims D&B told a Department of Defense official that it planned to “do something on our own with the Government.”
The lawsuit also says D&B failed to deliver a “critical credit study” promised at the start of the business relationship and falsely led the plaintiff to think an acquisition offer was forthcoming.
“Defendant also misrepresented that it was interested in purchasing Plaintiff and used that ruse as a means of obtaining and using proprietary information,” the complaint said. “In reality, Defendant did not intend to or offer to purchase Plaintiff and it has never delivered the promised credit study to Plaintiff. The study had been a significant factor in Plaintiff’s decision to renew its contract with Defendant.”
Heal R World claims it made several referrals to D&B, including an introduction to Unilever, but was excluded from any subsequent business dealings. D&B allegedly told the plaintiff it would receive compensation if a deal moved forward but “never included Plaintiff in any later discussions,” the filing says.
The company seeks damages for breach of contract, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, fraudulent inducement, tortious interference, unjust enrichment, promissory estoppel, and misappropriation of trade secrets.
A trial date has yet to be scheduled.
