A suit was removed to federal court on Wednesday from Santa Clara County, California state court by plaintiffs Alex Mauricio and Bristol Hospice, LLC against defendant Suncrest Health Services, LLC. The complaint alleges that the defendant acted with anti-competitive intent and in bad faith when agreeing on employment agreements with plaintiff Mauricio.
Plaintiff Mauricio is the Chief Strategy Officer of Bristol, which operates hospices across 13 states. Defendant Suncrest provides the same hospice and home healthcare services as plaintiff Bristol, making them direct competitors.
According to the complaint, Bristol extended Mauricio an offer of employment for Chief Strategy Officer in March of 2022. Previously, Mauricio had worked for Suncrest in the position of Corporate Director of Marketing.
Mauricio’s employment contract with the defendant had numerous specifications, including that if he was terminated, he could not engage with a competitor or any of its employees or contractors for eighteen months after the date of termination. Further, Mauricio would not be allowed engage with any indirect subsidiary or affiliate of Suncrest.
Suncrest terminated Mauricio on January 3, 2022. He was offered a severance package in exchange for “a release of claims and two-year post-employment restrictive covenants,” but he declined to sign the agreement due to the covenants.
In the same month of Mauricio’s termination, he received a letter from Suncrest’s counsel that accused him of...
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