Skip to main content

Former Motorola CFO Takes Off Gloves, Sues for Wrongful Firing

Former Motorola CFO Takes Off Gloves, Sues for Wrongful Firing

Early last month Motorola rolled out its financial results for the fourth quarter of 2008, and announced that chief financial officer Paul Liska would be leaving the company. No reason was given for LIska’s departure, although he had been with the company for less than a year, having been brought in to oversee the spinoff of Motorola’s mobile business into a separate company. Due to adverse economic conditions and continues poor performance—meaning, Motorola has no doubt had difficulty attracting buyers—the company has delayed the mobile spinoff and made moved to streamline its mobile business on just three platforms: it’s own P2K, Windows Mobile, and Google’s Android.

However, in a filing last week, Motorola indicated it had terminated Liska “for cause,” meaning Liska walked away without a signing bonus, severance pay, or stock options. Motorola did not specify the cause.

Now, Liksa has filed suit against Motorola, claiming his firing was a “retaliatory discharge.” Retaliatory firings are typically illegal if an employee is fired for performing actions that are deemed to be in the public interest; the laws are designed to shield whistleblowers and other employees for revealing unethical or illegal activities at a company.

Liska’s suit is currently under seal and neither Liska nor Motorola have revealed any details for his claim.

Editors' Recommendations

Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
I can’t take my eyes off my email inbox. So I turned it into a to-do app
Close up of various Google app icons including Google, Gmail, and Maps.

For years, I’ve hopelessly careened from one to-do app to another -- leaving behind a trail of embarrassing, long, and unfinished to-do lists. I blamed this behavior on what I believed were imperfect services and I thought that eventually, I would find the one that I would stick to. I was wrong.

The truth is, to-do apps are too intimidating for me. They are cluttered with all the tasks I am supposed to do and at the end of a day, they are a damning reflection of just how unproductive I have been -- the last thing I want to be daily reminded of before bed. What was designed to aid me in getting my life in order, evolved into a constant source of anxiety.

Read more
Motorola’s new flagship phone shown off from every angle in leaked renders
Moto G Stylus

Motorola's upcoming flagship phone, the Motorola Edge Plus, has been leaked again. But unlike previous leaks, the 3D renders are good enough to give us a really close look at Motorola's next huge phone.

These latest leaks come from render-flinging leaker Evan Blass, and show the device from a number of angles -- and in red and blue color variants. The waterfall-like display that gives the device its name is immediately obvious, and the screen appears to curve dramatically down the edge, toward the back of the device. Side views show the curve stretches almost to the middle of the phone's thickness.

Read more
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip vs. Motorola Razr: Folding phone face-off
samsung galaxy z flip hands on features price photos release date 6

The second age of the flip phone has arrived with Motorola's new Razr combining a futuristic folding screen with a distinctly retro form. Not to be outdone, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Z Flip at its Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event. Which of these new foldable phones is going to grab your attention? Let's see exactly how the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip measures up against the Motorola Razr.
Specs

Galaxy Z Flip
Motorola Razr

Read more