OptumCare Sheds New Mexico Doctor’s Claims in Noncompete Suit

A New Mexico doctor failed to properly plead claims against OptumCare Management LLC in response to the company’s suit against her for allegedly breaching a noncompetition agreement.

Ximena Galarza-Rios may be able to revive her noncompetition claim by amending her complaint to show that Optum’s attempt to enforce the agreement likely substantially interferes with patients’ ability to obtain quality health care in New Mexico, the US District Court for the District of New Mexico said. But the court dismissed her remaining claims with prejudice.

Galarza-Rios signed a physician noncompetition agreement with ABQ Health Partners in 2012. In 2019, the agreement ...