Array Technologies and Nextracker, two global solar tracker manufacturers, have settled a five-year-long lawsuit that would have gone to trial this week.
Array Technologies filed a lawsuit (Case No. 1:17-cv-00087-JCH-LF) against Nextracker and its former parent company Flextronics International in July 2017, alleging that a former Array employee was hired at Nextracker in violation of a non-compete agreement. The lawsuit was settled outside of court under non-disclosed monetary terms prior to the trial date of July 18.
According to a press release issued by Array, “Nextracker acknowledges that an Array employee was hired in violation of his non-compete agreement, certain Array confidential information was improperly obtained and Nextracker’s behavior was wrongful.”
The former employee was a business development manager at Array Technologies who handled “all aspects of sales from identifying sales opportunities to closing the sales,” according to the lawsuit. The non-compete, non-disclosure and non-solicitation agreements in his employment contract required a one-year gap after leaving Array Technologies before being hired at a competing company.
The employee was hired at Array Technologies in 2013 and was in talks of a position with Nextracker in June 2016. The lawsuit alleges that prior to departure from Array Technologies, the former employee transferred about 7,000 confidential electronic files and was shortly after hired at Nextracker.
“The parties are pleased to conclude this matter and look forward to continuing their shared missions of mainstreaming clean energy worldwide,” the press release states.
News item from Array Technologies
