Jeff White, the former chief technology officer of RutterKey Solutions LLC, alleged in 2018 that co‑founder Bruce Mortimer had promised him a 30 % share of profits from a joint venture to be formed under the RKS brand.
In September 2023 Mortimer terminated White, citing insubordination, and White filed suit the following month, charging breach of contract, trade‑secret misappropriation, and promissory estoppel.
The appellate panel held that the oral talks and a 2022 letter of intent amounted to an “agreement to agree,” lacking the essential terms required by Georgia law—how the venture would be structured, how expenses and revenues would be divided, and when profits would be distributed.
White’s claims for unpaid services under quantum meruit were also thrown out; the record shows he earned between $171,000 and $252,000 annually from 2019 to 2023, a figure the court deemed adequate. His intellectual‑property and trade‑secret allegations failed because he was treated as an employee and no separate entity existed.
With the ruling, White’s lawsuit is dismissed and he has no further claims pending unless he files a petition for review with the Georgia Supreme Court, which has yet to be pursued.