A rare case in France came to put in the center of the debate the confidence that must exist between worker and company. A recent decision of the Poitiers Appeal Court forced an ancient worker to pay compensation of 794,833.21 euros, which surprised his dimension and the unusual nature of the conviction.
Experts in labor law, cited by the digital newspaper Spanish noticias work, stress that the French justice is increasingly aware of mutual loyalty in labor relations. For Justine Gody of the La Garanderie Avocats Office, this process “shows that the courts are increasingly paying attention to the loyalty that should prevail in work relations.”
A route that led to the court
The worker in question had resigned to join a competing company. The change seemed, at first glance, a simple career step. But it quickly became evident that there was much more at stake than a mere professional transition.
Shortly after the departure, the new company began to gain relief public contracts, raising suspicions about how it got such a competitive advantage.
It was then that the use of sensitive information that was still protected by the previous bond was discovered.
Rare and heavy conviction
The Court of Commerce was the first to analyze the case, initially applying compensation of 2.57 million euros to the new company for unfair competition. The amount was eventually reduced by appeal to 794,833.21 euros by the Court of Appeal, according to the same source.
At the same time, the former employer also decided to hold the worker responsible, asking him to be sentenced to the payment of this same amount.
The lack of loyalty as a serious misconduct
In the decision of June 5, 2025, the Poitiers Appeal Court considered that the former employee had transmitted confidential information to the new employer, breaking the obligations of loyalty, discretion and professional secrecy, according to the source previously mentioned.
The court also understood that the worker’s behavior was intended to harm the company where he worked, which is why the attitude was classified as a serious misconduct.
Precedent for future decisions
The outcome of this case establishes a remarkable precedent in France, showing that not only the competing company can be condemned, but also the worker himself, as the.
The breakdown of trust and loyalty, essential in labor relations, can thus have direct and heavy financial consequences for those who violate this principle.
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