Shanker

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 6 EAST WEST BANK, Case No. 20-cv-07364-WHO

Plaintiff,

ORDER GRANTING MOTION FOR

v. ATTORNEYS' FEES

SUKEERT SHANKER, et al., Re: Dkt. Nos. 194, 198 Defendants.

12 Defendants Sukeert Shanker and Aeldra Financial, Inc. (“Aeldra”) move for attorneys’ fees from plaintiff East West Bank (“EWB”) under the terms of the EWB Employee Handbook and the Defend Trade Secrets Act (“DTSA”). The motion is GRANTED. Under the terms of the Employee Handbook, Shanker is entitled to reasonable fees that he incurred compelling EWB to arbitration. So is Aeldra, a company that Shanker founded once he stopped working for EWB. In this litigation, EWB has sought to hold Aeldra liable for breaching various provisions of the Employee Handbook and has conceded that Aeldra could compel EWB to arbitration. While Aeldra is not a signatory to the Employee Handbook, equitable estoppel entitles it to fees. That said, the amount of attorneys’ fees and…