MedPlus Health Solutions LLC, Harmony Hearing Services LLC, and Audiology Distribution LLC dba HearUSA settled a case against former executives, certain companies, and individuals accused of allegedly breaching contracts, misappropriating trade secrets and funds, unfairly competing, making misrepresentations, and misapplying funds, among other things
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla., May 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — On March 3, 2020, Audiology Distribution LLC DBA HearUSA, MedPlus Health Solutions LLC, and Harmony Hearing Services LLC (the “MedPlus Companies”) filed a lawsuit in the federal court in Tampa, Florida against Defendants Pete Stephens, Jason Dawson, CentralComp Services LLC, and Unified Hearing Solutions LLC (Case No.: 8:20-cv-00499-MSS-TGW). In the lawsuit, the MedPlus Companies alleged that Stephens, former President of MedPlus, breached his fiduciary duties and engaged in various wrongful activities. The MedPlus Companies also alleged, among other things, that Stephens and Dawson, former President of Harmony, violated their non-compete and employment agreements with MedPlus and Harmony and shared trade secrets, business, and employees with competing companies, CentralComp, Unified Hearing, and Health Pay Services, while still employed by the MedPlus Companies.
In conjunction with the lawsuit, in March 2020, the MedPlus Companies requested that the Court grant a temporary restraining order and, in June, 2020, a preliminary injunction to prevent those Defendants and affiliated individuals and others from engaging in further harm. The Court granted the MedPlus Companies’ requests, ordering a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against Stephens, Dawson, CentralComp, Unified Hearing, and anyone acting in concert in the wrongdoing, which was eventually converted to a permanent injunction. The MedPlus Companies later amended their verified complaint, adding, among other things, additional defendants Phil Valdens, Penser North America Inc., Love and Luck Enterprises LLC, Health Pay Services LLC, and Professional Services Solution of Florida LLC.
On May 7, 2021, the MedPlus Companies and the Defendants entered into a confidential settlement agreement that required Defendants to provide certain monetary sums to the MedPlus Companies and abide by certain non-monetary terms to remedy the MedPlus Companies’ complaint.
As part of that settlement agreement, the Defendants Pete Stephens and Jason Dawson agreed to, and hereby do, publicly apologize to the MedPlus Companies for their alleged conduct in the underlying lawsuit and settlement referenced herein and agree to not have any involvement in CentralComp Services LLC or Unified Hearing Solutions LLC or to solicit the MedPlus Companies’ customers.
About Audiology Distribution LLC, MedPlus Health Solutions LLC, and Harmony Hearing Services LLC
Audiology Distribution LLC, dba HearUSA, has a hearing care network of nearly 4,000 independent audiologists and hearing care professionals and more than 250 HearUSA centers nationwide. Audiology Distribution provides hearing services and solutions to its customers and partners. Audiology Distribution is a parent company of MedPlus Health Solutions LLC and Harmony Hearing Services LLC.
MedPlus Health Solutions LLC is a customer service centric, technology driven workers’ compensation claims processing organization that provides time- and money- saving services to claim adjusters, self-insured companies, and other organizations. Harmony Hearing Services LLC provides hearing loss claimants with products that help with hearing challenges.
CONTACT:
Carrie Hall, Vice President – Legal US, Audiology Distribution
carrie.hall@wsa.com