Shawn Mitchell Caught Stealing From Former Employer?

Shawn Mitchell, Democratic candidate for State Senate in the 13th District, is coming under fire for questionable business practices which landed him in court this year.  Mitchell has built his campaign on the fact that he is a successful small businessman.  However, this March, Shawn Mitchell settled a lawsuit where his former employer sued him for stealing client lists, taking trade secrets and breaking a Non-Compete Agreement he signed when he was entrusted to represent their company. Read more...

Once Mitchell settled, he took the unusual step of immediately having the court records sealed from public - just in time to announce his run for office.

So what does Shawn Mitchell have to hide?

From 2008 to 2010 Shawn Mitchell worked for an HVAC company named Parrish Services in Manassas.   While employed there, he signed a Non-Disclosure and Non-Compete agreement that he would protect the company’s confidential information and trade secrets during and after his employment.  Mitchell’s agreement also stated that he couldn’t establish a competing company within 50 miles of Manassas for a period of two years.  In court papers, he claims that his business, Modern Mechanical, is based out of Richmond, but in a recent interview with The Leesburg Today (August 4, 2011) he stated that he started Modern Mechanical out of the basement of his home in Broadlands.

In court documents Democrat Shawn Mitchell was unable to seal, his former employer stated that he was “untrustworthy,” “a poor employee” and they said that they “hoped not to repeat their mistake of hiring an employee like him again.”  Mitchell petitioned the Prince William court to throw out the lawsuit but the court deemed that there was enough evidence to proceed to trial.  Before the case got to trial, however, Mitchell settled the case.  Mitchell immediately petitioned the courts to seal the records, so that voters couldn’t see the complete list of allegations, depositions, or what sort of settlement was arranged.

On September 27, 2011, the 10th District Republican Committee Chairman, Howie Lind, called upon Democrat Shawn Mitchell to unseal the documents to that voters can see what he is hiding.  In a written statement, Lind said, “Mitchell isn't just a business operator.  He's the Democrat nominee for State Senate.  Voters deserve to know if--as his employer said--he is "untrustworthy."  Voters should know if the Court agreed with Mitchell's employer who said Mitchell "had stolen 16,000 customers" when he left the company to start a similar company just nine days later.”

No word from Mitchell on whether he will comply.