A radiologist from Duke University Health System is suing the university over an alleged antipoaching deal between Duke and the University of North Carolina (UNC), according to a report by the Herald-Sun of Durham.
Duke assistant professor Dr. Danielle Seaman contends that Duke and UNC have conspired to prevent "lateral hiring" of each other's faculty and staff -- in which employees leave for similar positions at other organizations, often at higher salary levels. Bans on lateral hiring can reduce compensation and mobility opportunities, the Herald-Sun reported.
Seaman's lead representative is Winston-Salem attorney Robert Elliott, who is backed by lawyers from Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein of San Francisco. That firm is in the midst of a broadly similar poaching suit against Apple, Google, Adobe Systems, and Intel, according to the Herald-Sun.
The suit said that banning lateral hires hurts workers because UNC and Duke "are the dominant and pre-eminent employers of skilled medical labor in North Carolina." They should be competing for staff, which would offer an incentive to increase compensation, according to the article.
