Good or bad publicity is still free press after all. And many PR professionals accept any form of publicity surrounding a book launch at no extra fee as it can spread like wildfire to readers and even non-readers alike with minimal effort.
This exactly is what happened with the launch of a tell-all book on Melania Trump. The former adviser of FLOTUS, Stephanie Wolkoff, who offered her professional services gratuitously or without any cost to the American taxpayers recently published a controversial tell-all book with the title “Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady.” The First Lady claims that the publication of the book is a violation of a Non-Disclosure Agreement between the First Lady and the author.
Violation of Non-Disclosure Agreement
The Justice Department claimed that Stephanie Wolkoff breached a non-disclosure agreement provided in the gratuitous services agreement she had signed when she joined as an adviser of Melania. She is also accused to have breached her fiduciary obligations to the first lady. The Justice Department requested a court to place the proceeds of the book in a constructive trust and award the said profits to the U.S. Treasury Department.
But in her defense, Stephanie reiterated that she did not violate the non-disclosure agreement as whatever obligations contained in that confidentiality agreement terminated at the time when her gratuitous services agreement ended in 2018.
Well-Written Non-Disclosure Agreement is a Must
Nobody likes a tattletale, but everybody loves the tales the latter concocts nevertheless. To protect a party from any malicious, innocent, or even accidental leak of valuable and confidential information acquired most especially during the engagement of the other party’s services, it is imperative to have a nuanced confidentiality agreement tailored to your specific needs.
And as we mentioned in an article about protecting your company’s confidential information, one should take, at a minimum, the following steps to safeguard confidential information:
- (1) Identify your confidential information;
- (2) Limit access to the confidential information; and
- (3) Draft a nuanced confidentiality agreement.
If you would like learn more about how Hayes & Simon can assist you or your business, please schedule a no-cost initial consultation with a lawyer via clicking: Schedule a Call with a New York Lawyer.
Similar Posts:
- Protect Your NY Company’s Confidential Information
- New York Non-Compete & Confidentiality Agreements
- Protecting Trade Secrets under New York Law: NY Trade Secret Law Basics
- Vital Business Agreements Before Starting a Business in New York: NY Startup Basics
- Revised New York Court Rule for Submitting Confidential Documents in Commercial Litigation in NY
- Reverse Merger Compliance & Disclosure Requirements: SEC Compliance Basics
