Verizon sues former Alltel exec over trade secrets

Verizon Wireless filed a lawsuit against a former Alltel executive who has since joined Allied Wireless, a new company that will run some of the former properties and assets Verizon divested as part of its $28.1 billion purchase of Alltel. Verizon claims that the executive, Lewis Langston III, could use or distribute confidential, proprietary trade secret information about Verizon.

Atlantic-Tele Network, which agreed to pay Verizon $200 million to acquire the divested wireless spectrum licenses and network assets, recently formed Allied as a subsidiary company. ATN said Allied would be headquartered in Little Rock, Ark. (where Alltel's headquarters were located), and would hire former Alltel workers who had been laid off after Verizon's purchase.

Langston, who was formerly executive vice president of process development and support at Alltel, resigned from Verizon in November and became the CIO of Allied. Before that, he was vice president of transition planning at Verizon, presumably working on the Alltel integration. Verizon is accusing Langston of violating the Arkansas Trade Secrets Act. Langston, in turn, said Verizon did not disclose the proprietary information that he has that could potentially harm Verizon, and that he has a right to know what it is, according to the the AP.

Representatives from Verizon and Allied did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

For more:
- see this AP article

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