Motorola is suing former executive David Hartsfield to prevent him from taking a post at Nokia. Hartsfield, who was vice president of its handset unit, resigned from his post at Motorola on Dec. 2 to take a similar position at rival phone maker Nokia.
In a suit filed with a Cook County Circuit Court, Motorola asks for a restraining order against Hartsfield that would block him from taking the post at Nokia. The manufacturer argues that Hartsfield was privy to its “most competitively sensitive information.”
While at Motorola, Hartsfield oversaw the development of devices including the Droid. He is now vice president of Nokia’s CDMA segment.
Motorola claims that Hartsfield cannot feasibly take the Nokia post without using its confidential information. Hartsfield’s attorneys have dismissed the claim, calling it “an unjustified first step… to unlawfully interfere with Hartsfield’s livelihood” and saying that Motorola has not cited any wrongdoing by Hartsfield.
Filed Under: Industry regulations