Photo: Getty Images
Pfizer Inc., one of the leading coronavirus vaccine manufacturers, is suing a woman for allegedly stealing "scores" of documents, Patch reports.
The company recently filed a complaint in San Diego federal court, alleging that longtime employee Chun Xiao Li uploaded over 12,000 files to personal accounts and devices from her company-issued laptop.
Pfizer claims Li, who was an associate director of statistics, allegedly breached her confidentiality agreement and even tried to cover her tracks. The lawsuit also says the defendant "has misled Pfizer about what she took, how she took it, when and why she did it, and where those files (and possibly others) can be found."
Some of the alleged materials include internal assessments and recommendations about the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Li spent 15 years at Pfizer before resigning for a position at Xencor Inc., reporters learned. Xencor is a Monrovia-based company focused on treatments for cancer and autoimmune disease. They also have offices near Carmel Valley, California.
Pfizer, which has a San Diego office, claims competitors have tried recruiting its employees.
U.S. District Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo issued an order last week, temporarily blocking Li from using Pfizer's trade secrets, according to Patch. The drugmaker's lawyers can also review the documents and her devices.
A hearing is scheduled for December 9 to consider a longer injunction.