Durham biotech company Serenex Inc. has won a $57.5 million judgment against a former contract worker and others who, a judge says, spied on Serenex and stole its trade secrets.
Judge Donald Stephens handed down the judgment Sept. 2 in Wake County Superior Court against Yunsheng Huang, Tongxiang Zhang, Beijing Gylongli Sci. & Tech. Co. Ltd., and GYLL BioMedTech Inc. In addition to misappropriating trade secrets, the court concluded, the defendants also engaged in an unfair and deceptive trade practice.
Serenex filed the lawsuit in June 2007, saying that Huang, a former contract chemist, had stolen trade secrets and funneled them to Zhang, a Chinese businessman. The two Chinese companies in the lawsuit at one time were listed as having offices at Huang's Apex residence.

Serenex, which develops cancer drugs, was bought by pharma giant Pfizer earlier this year.

http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2008/09/01/daily17.html