Motorola sues former president, COO

CHICAGO, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Motorola Inc. is suing a former chief operating officer and president who has been hired to run U.S. rival Nortel Network Corp.

Mike Zafirovski resigned his posts as Motorola's president and chief operating officer earlier this year and Tuesday was hired by Nortel as president and chief executive officer.

Motorola's suit, filed in a Chicago court, alleges Zafirovski breached various agreements with Motorola by accepting the position with Nortel, which Motorola charges will result inevitably in the use or disclosure of Motorola's trade secrets.

The plaintiff wants the court to stop Zafirovski from working for Nortel for two years, from soliciting or hiring Motorola employees and from utilizing or disclosing Motorola's confidential information.

Motorola's suit does not name Nortel as a defendant, but seeks injunctive relief against Zafirovski and his employers, among others, Nortel said Thursday.