Tim Klass
Seattle — The Associated Press Published on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009 1:48PM EDT Last updated on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009 2:35PM EDT
Competition between Starbucks Coffee Co. SBUX-Q and Dunkin' Donuts has gone beyond mochas and lattes, to corporate executives.
Paul Twohig of Hilton Head, S.C., a former Starbucks senior vice president who jumped ship to work for Dunkin', reportedly is paying $500,000 to settle a lawsuit. According to the Seattle company, he also promised not to share Starbucks' trade secrets with Dunkin' or to start work before Jan. 15.
Starbucks sued Oct. 5 after Mr. Twohig took a job as brand operations officer for Dunkin', a division of Dunkin' Brands Inc. of Canton, Mass. Mr. Twohig had been in charge of Starbucks retail operations in the southeastern U.S., and the company accused him of violating a non-competition agreement.
Mr. Twohig's lawyer, Paul R. Taylor, did not immediately return a call for comment Wednesday.
More to come
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