Opinion ID: 151632
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Hostess Job Offer

Text: On September 28, 2009, one of Bimbo's primary competitors in the baking industryInterstates Brand Corporation, which later changed its name to Hostess Brands, Inc. (collectively, Hostess)offered Botticella a position in Texas as Vice President of Bakery Operations for its eastern region. The proposed position carried a base salary of $200,000, along with various stock option and bonus opportunities. On October 15, 2009, Botticella accepted the Hostess position and agreed to begin in January 2010. Botticella did not disclose his plans to Bimbo for several months, and he therefore continued to be engaged fully in his work at Bimbo and to have full access to Bimbo's confidential and proprietary information even after he accepted the Hostess position. Botticella maintains that he continued working for Bimbo notwithstanding his acceptance of the Hostess position in order to receive his 2009 yearend bonus and to complete two Bimbo projects for which he had responsibility. After Botticella accepted the Hostess offer and while Bimbo still employed him, Hostess directed him to execute an Acknowledgment and Representation Form, which essentially indicated that Hostess was not interested in any confidential information, trade secrets, or other proprietary information that Botticella had acquired from Bimbo, and that Botticella would not disclose such information to Hostess. [1] App. at 272. Botticella signed the form on December 7, 2009. Botticella informed his supervisor at Bimbo on January 4, 2010, that he was planning to leave Bimbo on January 15. [2] But Botticella did not at that time indicate that he was leaving to work for a competitor. Moreover, there is no indication in the record that Bimbo asked him about his future employment plans. On January 12, Hostess announced that its Vice President of Bakery Operations for the eastern region was retiring and that Botticella would be replacing him, effective January 18. Bimbo personnel learned of the announcement and the next day, January 13, the company's Vice President for Human Relations requested that Botticella contact him. Botticella did so at approximately 10:00 a.m. PST and in the course of the ensuing telephone conversation disclosed his intention to work for Hostess. Bimbo directed Botticella to vacate its offices that day. [3]