At least 22 employees — including senior vice presidents and directors — have resigned, been placed on leave or been terminated by Outcome Health this year, according to court documents filed by investors and reported by the Chicago Tribune.
A group of investors sued Outcome Health and its two founders Nov. 7, alleging the Chicago-based tech and advertising startup engaged in fraud. The lawsuit, filed in the New York State Supreme Court in New York County, follows an Oct. 13 The Wall Street Journal investigation that alleged a subset of employees at Outcome Health manipulated pricing and sales information to mislead pharmaceutical advertisers.
In court documents filed Nov. 12, the investors claimed the founders knew of or "recklessly disregarded" the alleged data manipulation, in part due to the company's "dramatic turnover," the Chicago Tribune reports. Five of 10 employees Outcome Health listed on a document provided to a Goldman Sachs fund before its investment are either no longer at the company or have since been placed on leave.
At least 17 additional "high-level executives" either resigned or were terminated from the company in 2017, according to court documents. After The Wall Street Journal analysis, the Goldman Sachs fund — one of the investors suing Outcome Health — reportedly launched its own investigation into the alleged data manipulation. The investors said they requested access to Outcome Health's performance data and held a meeting to discuss the information Nov. 2.
Michael Getty Atienza, former head of growth strategy, insight and analytics at Outcome Health, was present at the Goldman Sachs meeting, according to court documents. He allegedly resigned the following day. His lawyer reportedly sent a letter to Outcome Health CEO and co-founder Rishi Shah, dated Nov. 3, alleging Mr. Shah made false promises to Mr. Atienza about the company while recruiting him.
David Goldin, a spokesman for Outcome Health, told the Chicago Tribune the former executives listed in the court documents included junior employees and fired employees. He also noted Outcome Health hired more than 250 employees in 2017.