Professional golfer Patrick Cantlay is suing Tysons-based software developer MicroStrategy Inc. for what he describes as a wrongful termination of his position as the company’s “global brand ambassador.”
MicroStrategy terminated the agreement Nov. 10 after Cantlay, once considered a top prospect in the sport, was unable to participate in professional golf events due to an injury, according to the complaint.
Cantlay filed the complaint Dec. 22, alleging that his injury-related absences were not grounds for termination and that MicroStrategy had raised no complaints or given any written notice prior to ending the contract.
According to the complaint, “Mr. Cantlay remains ready, willing and able to perform his obligations under the agreement until the agreement’s expiration on December 31, 2015.”
Also according to the complaint: MicroStrategy has “unequivocally refused” to pay Cantlay his December retainer payment, as well as all payments due in 2015, and that the company listed no specific infractions in its notice of termination, only that Cantlay had made “several material breaches of the agreement.”
All dollar figures, including what Cantlay was paid and what he’s asking for in the lawsuit, were redacted from the filing. According to Gabriel Matus, Cantlay’s general counsel at Excel Sports Management, which represents Cantlay, such details are considered “competitively sensitive” information, though the court could ultimately decide to release them.
Cantlay, a 22-year old native of Long Beach, California, was first contracted in June 2012 by MicroStrategy as the company’s first global brand ambassador. Cantlay was required to don MicroStrategy gear on the golf course and represent the company ” in a wide range of marketing and customer activities,” according to the company website.
According to the PGA website, Cantlay was forced “out of action” on the 2013 tour due to a back injury. Despite the sudden end to his 2013 season, he was able to earn a spot on the 2014 tour.
MicroStrategy at this time has made no official reply to the complaint. A MicroStrategy (NASDAQ: MSTR) spokesman could not be reached for comment.
The case was filed by law firm Consovoy McCarthy PLLC in the Alexandria division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
