Mike Zafirovski may have left Motorola in January, but the company still believes a non-compete agreement still ties him to the company. To that end, Motorola filed a lawsuit against its former employee to block his ability to join Nortel for two years.
On Monday, Nortel announced Zafirovski would take up the post of president and CEO on Nov. 15. The Motorola suit, filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill., names Zafirovski as a defendant and claims his decision to join Nortel breaches various employment agreements with Motorola.
Specifically, the lawsuit claims Zafirovski's appointment at Nortel will result in trade secrets being shared with its rival in the infrastructure space. "Zafirovski cannot serve as president and CEO of Nortel without utilizing and disclosing Motorola's confidential information," Motorola says in the lawsuit.
Motorola is hoping for a ruling that will block Zafirovski from rendering services to Nortel for two years. The company also wants to prohibit the solicitation or hiring of Motorola employees during that time, according to Nortel. Nortel is not named in the suit.
"We take these matters seriously and will do what is necessary to protect Motorola," Motorola said in an e-mailed statement to Wireless Week. A company spokesperson was not available for further comment.
"Nortel and Zafirovski are currently reviewing the lawsuit and intend to pursue discussions with Motorola with a view of resolving the dispute," Nortel said in a prepared statement.