Last May Dimitrios Biller was in Washington, D.C., to take depositions for his arbitration. Toyota’s former in-house lawyer was locked in a bitter and lonely battle with his old company, and he was eager to talk about it. Over a steak dinner at the historic Old Ebbitt Grill near the White House, he answered every question without hesitation.

What did his old company have going for it in their dispute? “I took the documents,” he said. Their argument was clearly going to be: “I should have returned the documents.”