Apple leaks: Another criminal inquiry into the issue has been launched against Apple’s former employee, who was previously punished by the organization for allegedly stealing and disclosing trade secrets to the media.
According to newly released court records, the accused – Simon Lancaster – is the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation by the Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office in connection with Apple’s accusations.
As a result of Lancaster’s counsel filing a petition to delay Apple’s civil complaint, the criminal investigation is continuing at the same time as the civil litigation. The defense contended that the two lawsuits are almost identical in nature, and as a result, they filed a request to halt the proceedings in Apple’s civil action until the Santa Clara investigation is concluded.
According to reports, the state’s complaint was filed prior to Apple’s action. Lancaster, on the other hand, was completely ignorant of it until lately. In response, his attorney claims that the case brought by Apple and the continuing criminal investigation by Santa Clara are of competing interests and that this might jeopardize his client’s rights under the Fifth Amendment.
Lancaster’s internet accounts and two of his laptops were searched as part of the state’s criminal investigation, which included search warrants for both machines. Lancaster was the subject of four search warrants, each of which requested forensic pictures of material stored on two computers that he used, as well as his internet accounts. In addition, a seasoned prosecutor has been appointed to the case.
According to court records obtained by 9to5Mac, the search warrants were issued based on the probable cause that “the information sought was stolen or embezzled, or demonstrated the commission of a criminal,” among other things.
It has been scheduled on November 18, 2021, that the next judicial procedure in the Apple versus Lancaster lawsuit will take place. Despite the fact that the criminal investigation is still ongoing, Lancaster and his attorneys are now attempting to have the proceedings against Apple stayed. As a result of the “discovery and disclosures necessary in the civil case,” they claim that continuing with Apple’s lawsuit during the criminal investigation might jeopardize the Fifth Amendment rights of the plaintiff.
Lancaster was the subject of a lawsuit filed by Apple in March, in which the company claimed that Lancaster had taken advantage of his senior position to obtain access to sensitive information about Apple’s forthcoming products. Lancaster, according to the claims, subsequently sold this material to an unidentified media source through a reporter with whom he had a working connection, according to the charges.
In addition to the monetary compensation, Lancaster is claimed to have urged the media outlet for favorable treatment of his business, Arris, in exchange for the trade secrets of Apple. Apple says that he even grabbed papers to aid him in the initial stages of the startup.
