Reference no: EM133446888

Question

All employees have a general duty of confidentiality as agents of an employer, but they may also sign a confidentiality or nondisclosure agreement, as well as non-competition agreements, which reaffirm and reinforce agency-based duties through legally binding contracts. In the Theranos case, Del Barnwell had hit his limit and opted to resign. He said Holmes and Balwani never acknowledged his two-week notice, but on his last day, they chased him into the lobby, demanding he sign a non-disclosure agreement. He refused. Balwani then allegedly called a security guard to stop him in the parking lot. "The day I left, Sunny made threats about suing me for everything I owned," Barnwell told us. "Everybody's got different levels of what they can take. I wouldn't listen to Sunny and everybody knew it. At one point, he wanted to put hands on me, and I said that would be a bad idea. "According to Barnwell, his former colleagues later told him Balwani called the cops after he drove away and claimed he'd stolen from the company. When police asked what was taken, Balwani allegedly replied: "Well, it's in his head." Based on the information provided, is this a violation of confidentiality? Please explain.