Injunction Against Scher-Voit Refused in Suit Alleging Worker, Listing Raids

An Orange County Superior Court judge refused to issue an injunction against Scher-Voit Commercial Brokerage Co. in Irvine, accused in a $1-million lawsuit of unlawfully raiding employees and real estate listings from a rival brokerage.

Daum-Johnstown American of Los Angeles had asked Judge Gary L. Taylor to bar Scher-Voit from approaching Daum-Johnstown’s clients or using listings for office space that some of their new employees brought with them when they defected en masse from Daum-Johnstown in October.

The judge ruled Tuesday that Daum-Johnstown had not proved in a hearing last week that it faces immediate harm from Scher-Voit.

Daum-Johnstown’s attorneys said Scher-Voit told them that the company would no longer market the listings. But the case--which has been closely watched by local brokers--is not over yet.

The Los Angeles brokerage will still have its day in court to accuse Scher-Voit and its new employees of breach of contract, unfair business practices, misappropriation of trade secrets and breach of fiduciary duties. No date has been scheduled to hear the rest of the suit.

The flap began in October, when Irvine-based Scher-Voit--whose owner had once employed many of the Daum-Johnstown brokers--hired from the Anaheim office about two dozen Daum-Johnstown workers, who emptied their desks and joined their new employer the next day. Since then more have followed.

Daum-Johnstown accused Scher-Voit of pirating its employees and real estate listings and filed suit in October. Scher-Voit’s president and co-owner, Lawrence M. Scher, denies the allegations.

--Compiled by Michael Flagg, Times staff writer