Internova Travel Group sues two ex-employees who formed a new venture

13.03.2024 - 19:12 / travelweekly.com

Internova Travel Group has sued two former employees of its Altour division, alleging their new agency venture, NousTravel, performs the same functions of Altour and that the employees breached contractual agreements by soliciting employees and taking trade secrets.

Internova and Altour filed a lawsuit against Anthony Lee Thomas, who left Altour last year, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on Feb. 16.

According to Travel Weekly's sister publication The Beat, a lawsuit was also filed against Barry Noskeau in Travis County, Texas. The New York lawsuit notes Noskeau was not named in the filing because he resides in Texas and it was unclear if he would be subject to personal jurisdiction in New York, but he also had an agreement with Altour regarding soliciting employees and advisors.

In the lawsuit against Thomas, Internova claims that Thomas, who resigned from the company effective Dec. 31, 2023, was "involved in the formation and operation of a new entity which intends to provide substantially identical services to those provided by Altour."

He was most recently Altour's COO and president of business travel for Altour's The Travel Authority division, according to the lawsuit.

Altour, acquired by Internova in 2017, serves the corporate, leisure, luxury and entertainment sectors.

According to the lawsuit, Thomas was employed by Altour from 1994 until his resignation. As part of his resignation, he had an agreement with Internova that had restrictions on soliciting and engaging customers and employees. It also included a special payment of $193,427.78, which the lawsuit said could be recovered by Internova if Thomas breached that agreement.

NousTravel was founded on Feb. 1, and Thomas, the lawsuit states, "is providing services to Nous as an employee, consultant, manager, or all of the above." The lawsuit also states NousTravel is staffed "entirely" by Altour employees and operates with the same business model.

Internova alleges Thomas solicited Altour employees "directly or indirectly" and that seven senior employees have resigned since NousTravel's founding. Those solicitations, the company claims, breach Thomas' agreement with the company. Internova also alleges Thomas intends to solicit Altour travel advisors.

The lawsuit claims Thomas had access to "trade secret information," including travel advisor agreements with commission and pay structure, used to solicit advisors for NousTravel.

On NousTravel's website, Thomas was listed as a strategic advisor and Noskeau its president. (Noskeau was most recently Altour's executive vice president of strategic planning before resigning effective Jan. 31.)

The lawsuit alleges Thomas and Noskeau "were plotting to create Nous prior