A federal judge has temporarily barred a former Cigna executive from taking a position at CVS Health as part of an anti-poaching case.
CVS Health hired Amy Bricker, then president of Cigna’s pharmaceutical benefits management subsidiary Express Scripts, as product manager for its consumer services last month. But Cigna alleges that Bricker violated the terms of her non-compete agreement by accepting the position and violated the Missouri Uniform Trade Secrets Act, which protects companies from employees old disclosure of competitive information to rival companies.
U.S. District Court Judge Ronnie White for the Eastern District of Missouri granted Cigna’s request for a temporary restraining order to prevent Bricker from starting work at CVS, according to a court order issued Friday.
Bricker asserts that Cigna’s non-compete agreements are too broad in scope and length, that she does not know any trade secrets and that even if she did, they would not help the business. CVS’s pharmaceutical business, according to documents filed with the court last Wednesday. Bricker asserts that CVS Health maintains separation between its pharmaceutical operations and its subsidiary CVS Caremark PBM.
White declined to rule on whether Bricker violated Missouri law, but wrote in his order that Cigna’s challenge to hire was “likely to succeed” in court. “Cigna will suffer irreparable harm. remedy without a temporary order,” he wrote. Cigna must pay a $250,000 security fee in the event the court ultimately decides that Bricker can join CVS Health.
Cigna, CVS Health and Bricker did not immediately respond to requests for interviews.
