Foxtons sues ex-director over database theft claims

News Category: Industry News

Foxtons has filed court papers against a former senior director and his partner, amid claims that they stole its database.

The firm claims that Timothy Hassell took confidential data “worth millions” when he and his partner, Christopher Andrew, set up a business of their own.

Mr Hassell, 32, was an operations director and lettings manager who had spent 12 years with Foxtons. He resigned in January to start a new business with his partner, Draker Lettings, covering smart London areas such as Pimlico, Chelsea, Belgravia and Kensington.

Now Foxtons is demanding £300,000 in damages from Hassell and Andrew, 37, a co-director and shareholder of the new firm.

Mr Hassell told the London Evening Standard he was paying “the maximum possible price” for his “stupid” actions. He said: “I did something very stupid, and I have been made to pay the maximum possible price, financially and emotionally. I regret what I did. All I care about is running a good business.”

In papers filed at the High Court, Foxtons accuses the pair of stealing “large amounts” of information relating to 2,500 clients, including the addresses of properties, landlords’ bank and contact details, rental figures, fees charged and start and end dates for tenancies.

Foxtons says it spends more than £3m a year on its “highly sensitive and valuable” client database, which it says is its “most important tool” for generating revenue.

A 19-page writ claims Mr Hassell secretly copied huge tracts from the database in the months before he left.

The Standard reports that print-outs were later seized during a court-ordered raid on Draker’s premises 200 yards from Mr Hassell’s former Foxtons office in Sloane Square.

Mr Andrew, 37, described in court papers as Mr Hassell’s “husband and business partner”, would have known the information was confidential and conspired to use it to steal Foxtons’ business, the papers state.

The Standards reports Mr Andrew as saying that the couple are now in the final stages of negotiations with Foxtons to reach an out-of-court settlement. “We are trying to settle so it does not have to go to court,” he said.

“We regret what has happened. We regret that Tim’s friends at Foxtons can’t really speak to him any more. We regret we have upset Foxtons, and regret the costs on our side. It is going to be damaging financially to the company.”

In July, Draker allegedly emailed at least 31 landlords on the Foxtons database, announcing their new company in competition with Foxtons and touting for their business.

Foxtons claims Mr Hassell has so far admitted obtaining the business of one its landlords, and it believes Draker has many more “poached” clients on its books.

Foxtons is suing Mr Hassell, Mr Andrew and Draker for alleged infringements, including breach of contract and confidence, procurement, conspiracy and breach of copyright.

A spokesman for Foxtons said: “Because we are in the legal process at the moment it is not appropriate to comment until it is concluded.”


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