DaVita CEO Sought ‘Loyalty to Village,’ DOJ Says in No-Poach Case

Former DaVita Inc. CEO Kent Thiry conspired with other health-care CEOs and used “carrot and stick” tactics to limit employee movement to competitors, prosecutors alleged during the DOJ’s first-ever criminal trial for labor-related antitrust violations.

The trial, which started Monday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, will test whether the U.S. Department of Justice can criminally prosecute employers that use no-poach agreements.

DaVita, a kidney dialysis service provider, allegedly formed no-poach contracts with competitors to refrain from hiring each other’s workers, the DOJ said in its July 2021 criminal complaint. DaVita and Thiry are both facing ...