Insights & Events

In October 2026, U.S. District Judge James D. Cain granted Hollingsworth LLP’s application for a temporary restraining order (TRO) on behalf of client Clariant Corporation (Clariant) finding the TRO necessary to prevent immediate and irreparable harm to Clariant.

Judge Cain’s issuance of a TRO is an early win in the case, Clariant Corp. v. Solugen, Inc. et al., Case No. 6:26-cv-4371-JDC-CBW, which was filed on October 20, 2026 in the Western District of Louisiana. The case involves a Clariant product used in offshore oil operations in the Gulf of Mexico to promote safe oil extraction and suitability for refining. The product is pumped through an “umbilical” hose, which connects an offshore oil platform to the Gulf of Mexico’s floor and is designed to prevent ice-like gas hydrates from building up and blocking oil and natural gas pipelines. In its complaint, Clariant asserted that defendants violated federal and state trade secret laws, unfair trade practices, and consumer protection laws, and the complaint included claims for tortious interference with business relationships, conversion, civil conspiracy, breach of fiduciary duty, and civil RICO.

In granting the TRO, the court found that Clariant established (1) a substantial likelihood of success on the merits; (2) a substantial threat that Clariant would suffer immediate and irreparable harm in the absence of injunctive relief; (3) that the threatened injury to Clariant in the absence of a TRO outweighed any harm to defendants should there be a TRO, and that (4) the requested relief would not disserve the public interest. Further, the court found that injunctive relief was necessary to protect Clariant’s legitimate interests and preserve the status quo. The court will hold a hearing on whether it should issue a preliminary injunction in early November.

Clariant is represented by Hollingsworth LLP attorneys Matt Malinowski, Kyle McWaters, and Elyse Shimada.