Senk v. IQVIA, Inc.

CourtDistrict Court, D. Maryland
DecidedFebruary 29, 2024
Docket8:21-cv-01756
StatusUnknown

This text of Senk v. IQVIA, Inc. (Senk v. IQVIA, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Maryland primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Senk v. IQVIA, Inc., (D. Md. 2024).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF MARYLAND PETER J. MESSITTE 6500 CHERRYWOOD LANE, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE GREENBELT, MARYLAND □□□□□ : . 301-344-0632 MEMORANDUM TO: Frank E. Senk; Counsel of Record

FROM: Judge Peter J. Messitte : RE: Senk v. IOVIA, Inc. No. 21-cv-1756 DATE: February V3 2024

Yesterday, February 28, 2024, the Court held an on-the-record Pretrial Conference in the above- captioned matter. In advance of the Pretrial Conference, the parties filed a Joint Proposed Pretrial Order (ECF No. 58). As discussed during yesterday’s Conference, the Court will APPROVE the Joint Proposed Pretrial Order, subject to the following determinations and additional directions to the parties: _1. As to Mr. Senk’s case, the only count before the Court is breach of contract, and the extent to which, if at all, Mr. Senk is entitled to the bonus contemplated by his □ Retention Bonus Agreement. a. Accordingly, any claim by him for damages for lost income or the loss of another bonus is not in the case. 2. The Court will not entertain evidence suggesting an alleged pattern of inappropriate dismissal of other employees by IQVIA. This case is about what allegedly happened to Mr. Senk, not anybody else. 3. The following witnesses listed by Mr. Senk on page 32 of the Joint Pretrial Order may not be called because they were not previously identified in response to IQVIA’s interrogatories or supplements to the same: a. Intikhab Wani; : b. Sukhwinder Singh; c. Deubrat Nilu; d. Dan Lanciloti; e. Abhissek Mittal; f. Costa Panagos; and □□ □ !

g. Trudy Stein. 4. Mr. Senk must promptly confirm whether Neha Aggarwal will be appearing to testify on his behalf at trial and inform defense counsel of the same no later than 2 weeks before trial. 5. Mr. Senk must provide defense counsel with a copy of every exhibit he intends to □ introduce at trial by March 15, 2024. Other than the two exhibits identified by Mr. Senk as numbers 21 and 22 on page 28 of the Joint Proposed Pretrial Order, the Court understands that there is no dispute as.to the authenticity of documents © offered by either side inthe case. __ 6. To the extent that the parties agree to any facts, they must stipulate to those facts and jointly file these stipulations with the Court no later than 1 week before trial. 7. Motions in limine, if any, must be filed no later than 2 weeks before trial; □ oppositions are due 1 week before trial. 8. The parties must advise the Court as to the expected sequence and timing of witness - testimony no later than 1 week before trial. 9. IQVIA’s proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law, if any, should be filed 1 week before trial. Mr. Senk need not provide his own proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law, but if he chooses to do so, that filing should also be filed 1 week before trial.

10. As to any deposition testimony from unavailable witnesses that will be submitted as evidence under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 32, the parties must provide the Court with copies of the deposition transcripts no later than 1 week before trial. Consistent with the parties’ designations, the Court will read the transcripts outside of the courtroom and, after doing so, will indicate that the designated portions have been received as evidence. 11. At trial, if Mr. Senk calls a particular witness whom IQVIA also intends to call, IQVIA may elicit testimony in support of its case in chief in lieu of cross examination. 12, Trial will be held from 11 a.m. to 4:30 or 5:00 p.m. on April 9 and April 10, with the possibility of continuing during the same hours for a third day on April 11, 2024. Despite the informal nature of this ruling, it shall constitute an Order of the Court and the Clerk is directed to docket it accordingly, and to send a copy of this Order to the email listed for Mr. Senk on the case’s docket. (7 . ! eter J. Messitte U tates District Judge Cc: Courtfile .

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MARYLAND (SOUTHERN DIVISION)

FRANK E. SENK,

Plaintiff/Counterclaim-Defendant, Case No. 8:21-cv-1756-JPM v.

IQVIA, INC.,

Defendant/Counterclaim-Plaintiff.

JOINT PROPOSED PRETRIAL ORDER

Pursuant to the Court’s August 9, 2023 Order and District of Maryland Local Rule 106, Plaintiff and Counterclaim-Defendant Frank E. Senk (“Mr. Senk” or “Plaintiff”), now proceeding pro se, and Defendant and Counterclaim-Plaintiff IQVIA, Inc. (“IQVIA” or “Defendant”), by and through its counsel (jointly, the “Parties”), hereby submit this Joint Proposed Pretrial Order in advance of the Pretrial Conference scheduled for February 28, 2024 at 3:30 PM.1

A. A brief statement of facts that Plaintiff proposes to prove in support of his claims, together with a listing of the separate legal theories relied upon in support of each claim.

Count I: Breach of Contract IQVIA breached its agreement to pay Mr. Senk a $275,000.00 retention bonus after it acquired his employer GCE Solutions, Inc. ("GCE") and then terminated him for a purported "Cause" that did not comply with the terms of his June 26, 2019 Bonus Retention Agreement ("Bonus Agreement").

1 Per Local Rule 106.4(c), the Parties’ submission of this proposed pretrial order, which contains the information required by Local Rule 106.2, constitutes compliance with Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(a)(3). Under Delaware law (Bonus Agreement § 10, Senk Depo. Ex. 7, Senk 00010-00016; IQVIA Memo. p. 18), a breach of contract claim has three (3) elements: (i) a contractual obligation, (ii) a breach of that obligation by the defendant, and (iii) resulting damage to the plaintiff. Kuroda v. SPJS Holdings, L.L.C., 971 A.2d 872, 883 (Del. Ch. 2009); H-MWexford LLC v. Encorp, Inc., 832 A.2d 129, 140 (Del. Ch. 2003). It is undisputed that the Bonus Agreement has a Delaware governing law provision. Agreement is a binding contract between the parties. IQVIA breached the Bonus Agreement when it failed to pay Mr. Senk's $275,000.00 bonus. Mr. Senk was damaged in an amount of at least $275,000.00 in contractual damages—the amount of his unpaid bonus. However, IQVIA claims it did not breach the Bonus Agreement because Mr. Senk allegedly violated (2) of its forfeiture conditions: (IQVIA Memo. pp. 19-20). Regarding these forfeiture provisions, Delaware law abhors forfeitures and they should be strictly construed. Jefferson Chemical Co. v. Mobay Chemical Co., 267 A.2d 635, 637 (Del. Ch. 1970) ("equity, of course, abhors a forfeiture. And it is not obliged to permit a party to get the advantages which a forfeiture would give him.") (citing Old Time Petroleum Co. v. Turcol, 18 Del.Ch 121, 156 A. 501 (1931)). It will disregard a forfeiture occasioned by failure to comply with the very letter of an agreement when it has been substantially performed.") Regarding the two (2) alleged forfeiture provisions relied upon by IQVIA, the Bonus Agreement states: Forfeiture: Recipient shall forfeit his or her right to receive any unpaid Bonus Installment ... immediately upon the occurrence of the following: (a) Recipient’s employment with the IQVIA Group is terminated for Cause (as defined below);... (c) Recipient breaches any material provision of the IQVIA WPAA and/or the IQVIA CRCA." (Bonus Agreement p. 2, § 4(a) & (c), Senk Depo. Ex. 7, Senk 00010-00016 (emphasis added)).

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Senk v. IQVIA, Inc., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/senk-v-iqvia-inc-mdd-2024.