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Apple faces lawsuit for alleged auto engineer poaching

Apple sued for battery engineer poaching
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Apple sued for battery engineer poaching

With specifics about Apple's much-hyped automotive project under wraps for the time being, the tech giant now faces a lawsuit for poaching automotive engineers to beef up its battery division.

At least five former employees of electric car battery maker A123 Systems now work for Apple, according to a court filing. Those employees signed nondisclosure and noncompetition agreements, according to the filing. A123 is seeking "monetary damages," but it hasn't specified the amount it's seeking.

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In January, Apple, Google, Intel and Adobe agreed not to poach staff from each other. That accord didn't include other companies, let alone one as small as A123.

In 2012, A123 filed for bankruptcy protection and has sold some of its assets, according to Reuters.

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Apple was not immediately available to comment and A123 declined to comment.