My lips are sealed

Sean Reeves is to keep quiet over his $1m design secrets spat with former employer OneWorld

Sean Reeves - the Kiwi alleged to have being touting Team New Zealand and OneWorld design secrets for $1 million - has agreed to keep quiet on the subject until his court case is heard.
According to a report in the New Zealand Herald, the former Team New Zealand sailor has agreed to a temporary restraining order that prevents him selling or giving away confidential information about the OneWorld syndicate.

This will come as a relief to OneWorld, who had been attempting to impose silence on Reeves. His Seattle lawyer Guy Michelson signed the order after being hired by Reeves last week.

OneWorld is suing Reeves for allegedly trying to sell their design secrets after the Kiwi parted company with the American syndicate earlier this year. Reeves, a trained lawyer in his own right, has talked about countersuing OneWorld for defamation, but Michelson said they had not yet started to discuss any such options.

Michelson pointed out that although the restraining order was only legally valid within the US, Reeves had no intention of selling the information abroad. Also, the order only covers OneWorld secrets, and so if Reeves is in possession of Team New Zealand data - as has been alleged in GBR Challenge general manager David Barnes's affidavit - then there is nothing in this order to stop him attempting to sell that information.

It is believed the court case will now be heard some time early next year, although Michelson intimated that an out-of-court settlement was a likely outcome.