LOS ANGELES – A professional toy inventor alleges that she was not paid for her ideas by a toy manufacturer.
Elinor Shapiro filed a complaint on Aug. 2 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Western Division against Hasbro Inc. and Does 1 to 10 alleging misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of express written contract and breach of implied covenant of fair dealing.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges she designed a line of clear, animal-shaped dolls filled with liquid and glitter in 2012 named Wishables. These designs were created with the defendant's Hello Kitty and Littlest Pet Shop properties in mind, which the defendant did not use, the suit states. The plaintiff holds the defendants responsible because her ideas were allegedly later used as part of a My Little Pony line of dolls called Sparkle Brights, Rainbow Shimmer and Water Cuties and claims the defendant has not paid her for using the information to develop them.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks damages of at least $75,000, damages as reasonable toy royalty, restitution and disgorgement, exemplary damages, injunction against the defendant, all legal fees and any other relief as the court deems just. She is represented by Lisa J. Borodkin of Lisa Borodkin in Redondo Beach and Howard E. King of King, Holmes, Paterno & Soriano LLP in Los Angeles.
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Western Division Case number 2:16-cv-05750-FMO-JEM