Hey everyone, Nuked here! Today, let’s dive into a wild legal saga involving two big HR tech players, Deel and Rippling.

Deel has stepped up in their ongoing legal clash with Rippling, filing a motion to court with a bunch of letters. They want Rippling to turn over unredacted documents, including affidavits from witnesses. One of these is a former Rippling employee, Keith O’Brien, who admitted in court to spying for Deel. His affidavit reads like a movie plot, revealing covert activities that stirred up serious trouble.

Rippling responded by filing a lawsuit claiming Deel misappropriated trade secrets, interfering unfairly, and more—all based on the spying accusations. Deel countersued, accusing Rippling of espionage, and is pushing to dismiss Rippling’s case while making their own legal allegations. The tension heats up as Deel seeks full access to agreements supposedly made with O’Brien, which they find suspicious because he was fired but still paid and involved as a witness.

Among the documents Deel wants are unredacted versions of agreements where Rippling reportedly paid O’Brien after firing him, which Deel finds quite unusual. In the leaked affidavits, Rippling’s former general counsel, Vanessa Wu, details what she recalls about these incidents and communications. She also testified that Rippling paid O’Brien a termination fee, and that the company contributed to his legal expenses—details Deel now wants publicly revealed.

Both sides are loudly defending themselves, maintaining their innocence and pointing fingers at each other. The court’s decision on whether more of O’Brien’s testimony and the agreements will be made public remains to be seen. Either way, this case definitely has the makings of an intense courtroom story!