Former Snapchat employee presses to unseal allegedly doctored usage statistics
A laid-off Snap Inc. employee isn’t backing down from a legal fight over the reason he was let go by the Snapchat-maker.
Anthony Pompliano’s attorney asked a judge Tuesday to unseal court filings that purportedly show how Snap misrepresented usage of its app to investors and the public. The specific details remain redacted until a ruling on whether they constitute trade secrets protected from disclosure.
Pompliano, a member of Snap’s user growth team for three weeks in 2015, has accused Snap of luring him with allegedly dodgy data and firing him for speaking out about them internally. He’s seeking a court order to bar Snap from distorting the reasons for his firing when the company is called on by any of his prospective employers.
Snap described the allegations as “preposterous” in a Los Angeles County Superior Court filing in January, weeks before the Venice company held one of the largest initial public offerings of stock in U.S. history. The company pointed out that Pompliano filed a similar lawsuit against Brighten Labs. That Los Angeles start-up fired Pompliano months after Snap.
His move to go public with a dispute contractually bound to take place secretly in arbitration is a publicity stunt designed to pressure Snap, the company’s attorneys said in January.
Pompliano retained a new law firm and attorney, John Pierce, for the latest filing. Pierce said he took on the case at the recommendation of Pompliano’s former attorney, David Michaels, who couldn’t be reached for comment. Snap didn’t have immediate comment Tuesday.
A hearing on the redaction issue is scheduled for April 17.
To read the article in Spanish, click here
DOCUMENT: Read the full complaint in Pompliano v. Snap »
DOCUMENT: Read Snap’s reply in the case »
DOCUMENT: Read Pompliano’s lawsuit against Brighten Labs »
DOCUMENT: Read Pompliano’s motion to unseal court documents »
Twitter: @peard33
ALSO
Snapchat enables searching through public posts for first time
Is Snapchat a media company? Even Hollywood can’t decide
What Snapchat maker’s IPO means for the Los Angeles tech scene
