Franklin, TN – September 8, 2020 – The Carlstar Group is pleased to announce an amicable and expedient resolution with Michelin, which has resulted in the complete dismissal, with prejudice, of Michelin’s lawsuits. 

The lawsuits involved intellectual property claims against a former Michelin and Carlstar employee, whom Michelin claimed had misappropriated Michelin’s proprietary information during his employment with Michelin.

From the very outset of this matter, Carlstar worked diligently and transparently to prove that Carlstar did not knowingly possess any of Michelin’s proprietary information.  After thorough and extensive investigation by both The Carlstar Group and Michelin, no evidence was found that Carlstar was ever willfully or maliciously in the possession of Michelin’s confidential or trade secret information and no evidence was found that Carlstar purposely obtained or utilized Michelin information. Carlstar also successfully proved that the Company never, at any time, made any use of Michelin’s proprietary data. 

Any money that has changed hands as part of Carlstar’s and Michelin’s agreement to settle Michelin’s lawsuits was a good faith attempt to finalize the settlement agreement, was expressly understood not to be an admission of any alleged wrongdoing by Carlstar, and represented only a fraction of the anticipated costs to continue litigating this case all the way through trial, which also would have needlessly dissipated organizational attention and energies.

Carlstar respects and takes seriously intellectual property rights, both its own and those of its competitors. 

As such, Carlstar is pleased that this case has been expediently resolved to the complete satisfaction of both Michelin and Carlstar.

Any inquiries should be directed to The Carlstar Group’s Corporate Counsel, Jason Little, via one the following methods:

Jason.Little@carlstargroup.com

615-503-0270

About The Carlstar Group

The Carlstar Group is headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee and is a global manufacturer of original equipment and aftermarket specialty tires and wheels for the agriculture, construction, outdoor power equipment, powersports, and high speed trailer markets. The diverse portfolio of solutions are offered under several leading brands including Carlisle^® tires and wheels, ITP^® tires and wheels, as well as Cragar^®, Black Rock^®, Unique^® wheels and Marastar^® tires. The Carlstar Group employs over 3400 associates in 17 facilities located in 4 countries. The Carlstar Group nurtures a legacy of excellence in product innovation, quality, and customer service across its diverse market segments serving premier Original Equipment and Aftermarket customers. For more about The Carlstar Group, visit www.carlstargroup.com.