BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (October 28, 2021)—Encompass Health Corp. has filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction against former executive April Anthony in state District Court in Dallas County, Texas, alleging breach of her employment agreement with Encompass Health, including breach of non-competition and non-solicitation obligation, and for misappropriation of trade secrets.
Anthony founded Encompass Home Health & Hospice in 1998. The company was aquired in 2014 by HealthSouth Corporation for $750 million. HealthSouth adopted the Encompass name in 2018.
Anthony stayed on with Encompass Health as CEO of the home health and hospice segment, growing the home health and hospice business to 241 home health location and 82 hospice locations. She stepped down from her role as in April of 2021, following announcements that the company planned to spin off the segment.
“It’s been my honor to lead Encompass Health’s home health and hospice segment, and I am proud of what we have accomplished,” Anthony said at the time. “We have developed a premier network of nurses, therapists, social workers and home health aides across the country and have set a new industry standard for providing high-quality, cost-effective integrated care.”
The company filed the injunction after multiple sources alleged Anthony met in secret with employees, including senior executives, to encourage them to leave the company to join a competing venture. In a press release the company stated that these efforts began before Anthony left the company's employment and continued thereafter. Anthony took extraordinary steps to hide her activities, which were in direct violation of her contractual and other legal obligations, said the release.
