Spire Motorsports and co-owner Jeff Dickerson have responded in a legal filing to Joe Gibbs Racing’s motion for expedited fact discovery. The Toyota flagship organization’s focus has shifted into a discovery dispute about text messages. Joe Gibbs Racing is suing its former competition director and crew chief for allegedly participating in a scheme to take trade secrets to Spire. The lawsuit includes Spire following Gabehart’s lawsuit.
Joe Gibbs Racing has sought expedited discovery on Gabehart and Spire, believing trade secrets have been shared. A narrow scope expedited discovery order was granted by Judge Susan C. Rodriguez, revealing questionable work documents from Gabehart but no evidence of sharing proprietary data. The issue of missing text messages has also been raised, with Gabehart disclosing deleted messages with Dickerson and Dickerson’s texts being lost.
Joe Gibbs Racing requested a second round of expedited discovery, which has been challenged by Gabehart and Spire. They argue that good cause does not exist for another round of expedited discovery and that the existing preservation efforts eliminate the risk of evidentiary loss. The case will proceed to a merits-based discovery process, with all parties seeking to expedite the trial.
Both Gabehart and Spire dispute Joe Gibbs Racing’s requests for third-party discovery and subpoenas. They claim that reciprocal third-party discovery should be allowed against JGR employees as well. Dickerson has challenged JGR’s claims in a declaration, denying sharing trade secrets with competitors and highlighting Spire’s alliance with Hendrick Motorsports as the only sharing of data.
Overall, the legal filings and responses from Spire, Gabehart, and Dickerson indicate a complex legal battle over trade secrets and non-compete agreements. The case continues to unfold as all parties seek to resolve the dispute through the legal process.
