Section 3750.21. Liability for disclosures

A member of the emergency response commission, officer or employee of the environmental protection agency, member or employee of a local emergency planning committee, officer or employee of a fire department, health professional, physician, nurse, or other person who receives information classified as a trade secret pursuant to rules adopted under division (B)(2)(d) of section 3750.02 of the Revised Code, information classified as a trade secret pursuant to division (B)(14) of that section, or information identified as confidential business information by rules adopted under division (B)(1)(h) of that section and who violates division (G) of section 3750.09 of the Revised Code or otherwise discloses information classified as a trade secret or identified as confidential business information pursuant to those rules or that division to a person not authorized to have that information under division (D) of section 3750.09 of the Revised Code or rules adopted under division (B)(1)(i) of section 3750.02 of the Revised Code, is liable in damages in a civil action to the owner of the trade secret or confidential business information for any injury or loss to person or property sustained by him resulting from the violation or unauthorized disclosure of that information. Any owner of information so classified as a trade secret or identified as confidential business information who, as a result of a violation of division (G) of section 3750.09 of the Revised Code or by disclosure of trade secret or confidential business information to a person not authorized to have it pursuant to division (D) of section 3750.09 of the Revised Code or rules adopted under division (B)(1)(i) of section 3750.02 of the Revised Code, sustains any injury or loss to person or property may bring a civil action for damages and other appropriate relief against the person who violated that division or otherwise disclosed the trade secret or confidential information to a person not so authorized to have it.

In such a civil action, if the plaintiff establishes by a preponderance of the evidence, and if the trier of fact finds, that the defendant violated that division or otherwise disclosed information classified as a trade secret or identified as confidential business information to a person not so authorized to have it, and that the plaintiff sustained injury or loss to person or property as a result of the violation or unauthorized disclosure of the information, the trier of fact may award compensatory damages and such other relief as the trier of fact finds appropriate.

In any civil action under this section the court may award costs and reasonable attorney's fees to the prevailing party.

Liability imposed under this section for a violation of division (G) of section 3750.09 of the Revised Code is in addition to other civil liability, if any, under the Revised Code or common law of this state and in addition to any civil penalty that is imposed for the same violation under section 3750.20 of the Revised Code or any criminal penalty that is imposed for the same violation under section 3750.99 of the Revised Code.

Effective Date: 12-14-1988