David Handler, a veteran banker who had built Centerview Partners’ technology advisory business; has filed a lawsuit against his former employer to obtain records that would help determine how much he should have earned.
The lawsuit, filed this week in the Delaware Court of Chancery, came after Handler launched his own technology-focused mergers and acquisitions advisory firm in Silicon Valley.
Handler is seeking access to Centerview’s books and records, including the firm’s financial statements; from 2008 to 2022, so he can work out his fair compensation, according to the lawsuit.
Centerview’s co-founders, Blair Effron and Robert Pruzan, offered Handler an “oral” agreement in 2012 that changed how much he was entitled to as a partner, Handler’s lawsuit states. Handler had received the terms of his employment in writing when he joined Centerview in 2008, according to the complaint.
He started asking for financial information about Centerview earlier this year after Effron and Pruzan; asked him to propose a new arrangement to replace their oral agreement, in a bid to “try to force Handler out,” according to the complaint.