Ethics/Professional Responsibility
Sep. 9, 2026
Deel seeks sanctions over Rippling's 'honeypot' spy trap
Deel says Rippling's general counsel crossed an ethical line by sending a deliberately misleading communication designed to expose an alleged corporate spy.
HR and payroll platform Rippling says it set a "honeypot" that competitor Deel Inc. walked into, exposing an alleged corporate spy. Deel says the trap amounted to attorney deceit.
Deel moved Friday to sanction Rippling and its general counsel, Vanessa Wu, arguing she violated professional conduct rules by sending a deliberately misleading communication designed to provoke a response from the suspected spy.
"The law is simple: an attorney cannot set a trap t...
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