Gentiva has filed a lawsuit against Bristol Hospice alleging that a former employee violated agreements with the company, including those for noncompetition and confidentiality.

The company filed the suit in a federal court in Maine. Gentiva alleges that a registered nurse administrator disclosed trade secrets after leaving the company and securing employment with Bristol. The nurse, a defendant in the case, is also accused of contacting former Gentiva colleagues to recruit them for Bristol.

“The false statements by [the nurse] and Bristol continue to spread throughout the community and continue to have a negative impact on confidence in Gentiva’s operations and reputation,” Gentiva indicated in its complaint. “Gentiva has suffered damages in the form of, among other things, lost goodwill, lost public confidence, and lost referrals and clients, as well as monetary damages.”

The case centers around a de novo opened by Bristol this year in Maine, where the nurse in question was hired. Gentiva also alleges that Bristol employees made false statements regarding their services to referral sources, a local news outlet reported.

Gentiva requested a jury trial and a court order forbidding the nurse from working for any other hospice within 75 miles of the Brewer, Maine, market. This reportedly would be in accordance with a noncompete agreement that the nurse entered into with Gentiva, the hospice provider alleges.

Bristol Hospice, which is backed by the private equity firm Webster Equity Partners, employs more than 3,000 staff in close to 80 locations across 18 states.

The hospice and palliative care company Gentiva is jointly owned by the PE firm Clayton, Dubilier and Rice and Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM). 

A Gentiva spokesperson told Hospice News that the company does not comment on pending legislation. Bristol also had no comment.