Deel Officially Served in Rippling Lawsuit
HR tech rivals Deel and Rippling continue their legal battle. Deel has formally accepted service of legal documents in Ireland, concluding weeks of efforts by Rippling to serve Deel executives, including CEO Alex Bouaziz.
Rippling filed an affidavit in Irish court detailing attempts to serve Bouaziz, Asif Malik (Deel lawyer), and Andrea David Mieli (Deel lawyer) in France and Italy. While Rippling's U.S. entity was served on April 16th, locating the executives proved challenging. Deel confirmed to TechCrunch that the executives agreed to accept service through their Irish legal counsel.
Dispute Over Service Location
Rippling's affidavit describes attempts to serve Bouaziz at a listed address in Paris, only to find a relative who stated he was in Dubai. Deel later clarified that Bouaziz, an Israeli resident, was in Dubai briefly for Passover. Deel declined to disclose his current location, citing privacy.
Deel refuted claims of avoiding service, calling the narrative a "public smear tactic." They stated Malik's move to Dubai was planned over a year ago, pre-dating the lawsuit, and that Mieli was available at his home in Italy.
Core of the Lawsuit
The lawsuit stems from Rippling's allegations that Deel bribed a former Rippling employee in Ireland to steal trade secrets. The employee, Keith O'Brien, admitted to the espionage in an affidavit. Deel has since countersued in the U.S., accusing Rippling of similar practices.
Public Response
Rippling CEO Parker Conrad publicly stated on X (formerly Twitter) that Deel has not disputed the central allegation of CEO Alex Bouaziz's involvement in the alleged espionage.
Rippling did not respond to a request for comment.
