Vanessa Miller, CR Gazette –
The University of Iowa and the Iowa Board of Regents are suing a former University of Iowa doctor of internal medicine and rheumatology on allegations he violated a no-compete agreement and has been “unjustly enriched at the expense” of the university.
Bogdan Cherascu took a position with the UI Hospitals and Clinics in August 2008, at which time he entered into a non-compete agreement promising not to practice medicine within 50 miles of the UI for two years after a voluntary departure, according to the lawsuit.
Per his contract with the UI, Cherascu agreed that if he violated the provisions of the non-compete clause, he would pay a designated amount to the UI in liquidated damages, the lawsuit states.
Cherascu voluntarily left the UI on June 30, 2012, according to the lawsuit, and he’s currently working at Physician’s Clinic of Iowa, P.C., in Cedar Rapids, about 30 miles from the UI. According to the clinic’s website, Cherascu is a current physician there, specializing in rheumatology, with hospital relationships with Mercy Medical Center and St. Luke’s Hospital, both in Cedar Rapids.
The UI has requested “the agreed upon payment from Dr. Cherascu, and he has refused to pay,” according to the lawsuit.
Although the lawsuit does specify how Cherascu’s departure and subsequent employment has impacted the UI, it states, “The University of Iowa has incurred damage,” and Cherascu has been enriched.
