News

Official Statement from Young Living Re: doTERRA Breach of Nonsolicitation Agreement

June 23, 2017
We have never been afraid to stand up for ourselves and our members. Young Living will always protect our company and our reputation.
We have now had our day in court, and we deeply respect the judicial process. This verdict does not affect our business in any way and will not stop our momentum of getting essential oils into every home in the world. Young Living is ultimately about purpose and people, not about profit. This case was about right and wrong and setting the record straight.
The four former Young Living employees, who are now doTERRA executives and distributors, David Stirling, Emily Wright, Justin Harrison, and Lillian Shepherd, were found not liable for breaching the nonsolicitation provisions in their employment agreements.
The defendants chose to defend themselves not by allowing the complete story to be told but by disparaging Young Living and attempting character assassinations of our founders, Gary and Mary Young. The choice to make personal attacks was a tactic to deliberately deflect the focus of the case: the alleged broken promises and breaches of contract.
We believe that we were not successful in this case because of certain technicalities and pretrial rulings. We were unable to tell the full story, as many key claims and pieces of evidence were not allowed into evidence due to the expiration of the statute of limitations and certain court rulings.
Plain and simple, the real story of doTERRA’s beginnings and the activities of its founders were not allowed into court, not because the judge or jury determined that doTERRA and its founders did not engage in that activity , but because Young Living simply waited too long under Utah law to bring these particular legal claims.
Our members who were solicited by doTERRA representatives were also not allowed to testify and tell their story. The court allowed only the testimony of former Young Living members who left and became doTERRA distributors to be heard by the jury. Because of that, the jury was unable to hear the entire truth, as well as the voices of Young Living distributors who refused to leave Young Living despite those solicitations.
Our mission is to share the benefits of essential oils and other natural products containing essential oils with people all over the world. Young Living has evolved as a company over the last 20 years and is much bigger than any individual. It takes a very talented executive team to manage an operation that has more than 2,600 employees, 4 million members since founding, 15 corporate and partner farms around the world, 13 offices operating in 20 markets, and products shipping to 133 countries.
Moving forward, we remain focused on growing the essential oils movement as the world’s leading essential oils company. We will continue to demand only the best for our brand, our products, and our customers.