Boston Sword and Tuna settles lawsuit against Vikenco

Fortune International subsidiary Boston Sword and Tuna (BST) has reached a settlement agreement with Vikenco over prior litigation that alleged the latter company stole confidential business information. 

The lawsuit, launched in April 2025 by Fortune and BST, alleged Vikenco North America CEO Christopher Marchese breached contractual obligations and misappropriated “significant amounts” of confidential and proprietary information from BST. According to the initial complaint, Marchese allegedly stole the info while still employed with BST and set up a competing business to directly compete with the company.

“Specifically, Plaintiffs [Fortune and BST] recently discovered that while Marchese was employed by BST, he was simultaneously working with senior executives of Vikenco’s Norwegian parent, Vikenco AS, to establish a U.S. entity (i.e., Vikenco) that would compete directly with Plaintiffs,” the complaint, filed on 29 April 2025, states.

The complaint said BST allegedly received three emails soon after Marchese left the company from a customer looking to place an order with Vikenco, which were inadvertently sent to Marchese’s old email address. 

“In other words, Vikenco and Marchese are engaged in direct competition with BST and are actively soliciting business from its clients, plainly in violation of Marchese’s post-employment obligations and, presumably, utilizing the misappropriated information belonging to Plaintiffs,” the complaint states.

Marchese’s filings in opposition to the lawsuit allege BST was trying to force invalid and unenforceable non-competition agreements and that there was no evidence that he shared confidential and trade secret information. Instead, it claimed the lawsuit was an attempt to gain leverage and invalidate USD 80 million (EUR 67.7 million) worth of contracts for salmon by BST from Vikenco.

The response also alleged Marchese was effectively forced out of his position at BST after a dispute with Fortune led to his demotion. 

“Mr. Marchese’s resignation from BST was not a genuinely voluntary separation but, rather, it was a constructive discharge, where he felt forced to leave the company where he had built his career in the seafood industry in response to intolerable conditions created by BST and Fortune,” the response states.

According to a filing in October 2025, the court issued a settlement order of dismissal as the two parties worked to reach an agreement, and now, as of 5 February, the two companies said they have reached a satisfactory conclusion with no admissions of liability or wrongdoing made by either side and that they will continue to have a partnership. 

“We are pleased to put this matter behind us and look ahead to strengthening our collaboration,” Fortune President and CEO Sean O’Scannlain said in a release.

Vikenco CEO Per Olav Mevold said both parties have agreed to renew a business relationship going forward.

“We are pleased to put this matter behind us and look ahead to strengthening our collaboration,” Mevold said.