Media

Recent Firm Victory: EnvTech, Inc. v. DeBusk

We are proud to share a major appellate victory secured on behalf of our client, EnvTech, Inc. In a published opinion issued on June 9, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed a lower court’s dismissal, officially reviving EnvTech’s federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) lawsuit against Patrick DeBusk, the founder and CEO of USA DeBusk LLC. 

The landmark decision rules that EnvTech plausibly alleged a pattern of trade secret theft—specifically, that the defendant knowingly directed a corporate strategy of poaching competitors’ key employees to misappropriate proprietary chemical cleaning formulas and methods. This pivotal ruling confirms that executive leadership can face personal liability and treble damages under RICO for orchestrating a corporate modus operandi centered on stealing competitors’ trade secrets. 

Featured Media Coverage

Read more about this significant legal development and its widespread implications for corporate accountability, intellectual property protection, and employment law in the featured articles below:

• IPWatchdog
  EnvTech Secures Major Dual Victory: Unanimous $3M Trade Secret Judgment and Landmark Federal RICO ReversalIPWatchdog details EnvTech’s historic dual victory spanning both state and federal jurisdictions. The article highlights the unanimous $3 million jury verdict and permanent injunction secured in Harris County, Texas, alongside the Fifth Circuit’s precedent-setting opinion fully reinstating federal civil RICO claims against Patrick Andrew DeBusk.
  [Read Full Article]
• Crowell & Moring LLP
  When Trade Secret Theft Becomes RICO: What the Fifth Circuit’s EnvTech Ruling Means for Your BusinessCrowell & Moring provides an expert legal analysis examining how the Fifth Circuit’s ruling validates the 2016 Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) amendments to RICO. The client alert details how systematic competitive hiring can establish a “pattern of racketeering” and expose corporate leadership to severe treble damages.
  [Read Full Analysis]
• Greenberg Traurig, LLP
  Fifth Circuit Case Shows Misappropriation Allegations May Trigger Broader RICO ExposureGreenberg Traurig breaks down the tactical and financial ramifications of EnvTech v. DeBusk for corporate defendants. The commentary explores how pleading parallel competitor litigation helps plaintiffs overcome single-victim pleading barriers, opening the door to wide-ranging enterprise discovery and heightened litigation pressure.
  [Read Full Analysis]
• Law360: RICO Trade Secret Suit Can Survive In Texas, 5th Circ. Says (Published June 9, 2026) 
• VitalLaw IP Law Daily: TRADE SECRETS—5th Cir.: RICO complaint against alleged employee poacher reinstated on appeal (Published June 10, 2026) 
• Human Resources Director: Appeals court revives RICO claim against CEO over alleged employee poaching (Published June 12, 2026) 

Podcast Feature

Swear on the Stand Podcast
Episode: EnvTech v. DeBusk: Trade Secret Theft and RICO Violations

In this featured episode of Swear on the Stand, legal commentators dive deep into the mechanics of the Fifth Circuit’s groundbreaking decision. The episode explores how the court evaluated pleading standards at the motion to dismiss stage, the significance of executive deposition admissions in proving criminal intent, and the broad implications this case holds for competitive hiring across the energy and industrial sectors.

[Listen to Episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/cy/podcast/envtech-v-debusk-trade-secret-theft-and-rico-violations/id1780797898?i=1000775004776]

Inside the World of Investors’ Injustice – Part I

In 2006, USA Commercial Mortgage, a direct real estate lender financed by 3,000 investors whose investments were secured by mortgages, filed for bankruptcy. The district court initially rejected 3,000 investors’ attempts to recover their property. Three and a half years later the district court acknowledged the earlier egregious error, but the damage had already been done: the investors lost nearly 40% of the value of their assets, initially worth $900 million. William Cohan, a legal adviser to the investors’ group, sought reversal of the district court’s ruling in the 9th Circuit. This is the true story of how 3,000 investors are being denied justice.

William A. Cohan has litigated in federal trial and appeals courts throughout the United States for the last forty years. He has obtained more acquittals in criminal tax cases than any attorney practicing in the United States over the last 40 years (including 2 cases involving more than $100 million), secured several multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for plaintiffs, and successfully defended against several multi-million dollar civil claims and forfeitures.

Inside the World of Investors’ Injustice – Part II

In 2006, USA Commercial Mortgage, a direct real estate lender financed by 3,000 investors whose investments were secured by mortgages, filed for bankruptcy. The district court initially rejected 3,000 investors’ attempts to recover their property. Three and a half years later the district court acknowledged the earlier egregious error, but the damage had already been done: the investors lost nearly 40% of the value of their assets, initially worth $900 million. William Cohan, a legal adviser to the investors’ group, sought reversal of the district court’s ruling in the 9th Circuit. This is the true story of how 3,000 investors are being denied justice.

William A. Cohan has litigated in federal trial and appeals courts throughout the United States for the last forty years. He has obtained more acquittals in criminal tax cases than any attorney practicing in the United States over the last 40 years (including 2 cases involving more than $100 million), secured several multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for plaintiffs, and successfully defended against several multi-million dollar civil claims and forfeitures.

The IRS vs. Robert Kahre

The Law Office of William A. Cohan is featured in an exciting, exclusive, in-depth and inside interview, discussing the case of Robert Kahre. Informally it’s called the Kahre case after the primary defendant, business owner Robert Kahre, who paid workers in gold and silver coins. The trial relied heavily on evidence gathered in a controversial armed raid in May 2003 on several of Kahre’s business premises. More than 20 workers were handcuffed and confined, in 106-degree heat without shade or water while agents collected records and equipment, which Kahre described in this interview with great detail. The trial resulted in zero convictions on 161 charges faced by nine defendants, a major win for William Cohan and Robert Kahre.

William A. Cohan has litigated in federal trial and appeals courts throughout the United States for the last 35 years. He has obtained more acquittals in criminal tax cases than any attorney practicing in the United States over the last 30 years (including 2 cases involving more than $100 million), secured several multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for plaintiffs, and successfully defended against several multi-million dollar civil claims and forfeitures.