The Inbox

The federal government is closed, but the Suits by Suits news continues to roll in:

• Johnson & Johnson shareholders are amending their derivative suit against the company and its directors, alleging that the company didn’t act properly when it decided that the lawsuit was not in J&J’s best interest.  According to Joshua Alston of Law360 (subscription required), the shareholders argue that an investigation conducted by K&L Gates was a whitewash and that former CEO Bill Weldon shouldn’t have been paid $175 million over a six-year period.  On the bright side, Weldon may have had a better tenure than the similarly well-compensated Alex Rodriguez.
• In more J&J news, subsidiary DePuy Synthes sued three of its former sales reps and their new company, Globus Medical, Inc., for allegedly violating noncompete agreements.  Brad Perriello of Mass Device described the allegations, which accuse Globus of recruiting the reps “in an effort to rapidly build its own business . . . by appropriating and capitalizing on the goodwill, customer relationships, and confidential information that DePuy Synthes necessarily entrusts to its sales employees.” 
• It’s not hard to translate how Rosetta Stone wants this forum dispute to come out.  Carolina Bolado of Law360 (again, subscription required) reports that competitor Open English sued the company, along with several new hires, in Florida for allegedly breaching noncompete agreements.  Rosetta filed a lawsuit in the employees’ home state of California seeking a declaration that the agreements weren’t violated, and has now asked the Florida judge to dismiss in favor of that lawsuit.  Open English, meanwhile, argues that it won the race to the courthouse and is entitled to take its legal talents to South Beach.
• Big whistleblower news last week, as the SEC announced an award of $14 million to a whistleblower under its Dodd-Frank bounty program.  Further details were not forthcoming, as the law protects recipients of bounties from having their identities revealed.  Given all the press about miserable lottery winners, this could be a very good thing for them.
• A Virginia sheriff’s deputy is suing his former boss, claiming that he was fired after he reported that another officer slapped an inmate at the county jail.  Rhonda Simmons of the Culpeper Star-Exponent writes that the deputy, who is pursuing a wrongful termination claim, was rehired after the sheriff who fired him was voted out of office.

• Executive Compensation
• Noncompete Agreements ‎
• Whistleblowers
• Wrongful Termination