Palantir is trying to 'destroy' Percepta through legal action, startup's execs say in filing

Executives from the AI startup Percepta AI have responded to a lawsuit filed by Palantir, which alleges that they misappropriated confidential information and attempted to recruit key employees. In their legal filing, Percepta's team characterized Palantir's accusations as a strategy designed to suppress competition and maintain its market dominance. The filing states, "Palantir's actions are aimed at intimidating potential competitors and undermining Percepta's potential for growth." The defendants argue that the employment agreements in question are excessively broad and unenforceable, suggesting that Palantir's claims are a means to impede competition. Palantir's lawsuit, initiated last October in New York's Southern District, accuses Percepta's co-founder and CEO Hirsh Jain and co-founder Radha Jain of developing a business that mirrors Palantir's offerings using proprietary information. The company also alleges that these founders, who previously worked at Palantir, attempted to lure away its employees and exploit its intellectual property. In a further twist, Palantir claims that Joanna Cohen, another Percepta employee, improperly transferred confidential documents to herself after her resignation and captured sensitive information on her personal phone. However, Percepta has categorically rejected these allegations, asserting that they have not utilized any of Palantir's confidential data and labeling the lawsuit as "baseless." Attorneys for Percepta indicated in their latest filing that thorough searches have revealed no Palantir materials and contended that Cohen's actions were carried out in good faith to assist her in her work. They emphasized that the information in question would be of no value to Percepta and has since become outdated. Palantir has not provided any comments regarding the ongoing legal dispute.