Kent Thiry, former CEO of dialysis giant DaVita, and the company were found not guilty in an antitrust case April 15, reported the Colorado Sun.
Mr. Thiry, who stepped down as CEO of DaVita in 2019, alongside the company were accused of violating antitrust law by conspiring in three separate schemes to stymie competition through non-poaching hiring practices. The prosecutors claimed that DaVita and Mr. Thiry conspired with other healthcare companies to agree not to solicit each other's employees, which "substantially affected interstate trade and commerce."
After two days of deliberation, the jury decided that the agreements made that prevented the associated healthcare companies from hiring employees from each other was not against the law. DaVita faced a fine of $100 million per count and Mr. Thiry faced a $1 million fine per count and up to 10 years in prison.
"We appreciate the jury’s decision and are grateful to put this matter behind us," DaVita said in a statement according to the Denver Post. "We remain committed to operating with integrity and upholding the highest standards of law."
"The jury affirmed that this case should never have been brought," Mr. Thiry said. "I want to thank the community that provided so much support through this difficult time."