Judge: Moto, ex-CFO should resolve differences

Motorola Inc., which claims fired Chief Financial Officer Paul Liska wrongfully deleted files from a company-owned computer, must wait until July 31 for a judge to decide if Liska should be punished.

Illinois state court Judge Allen Goldberg yesterday told lawyers for both sides they should try to resolve their dispute over what digital files Liska preserved or deleted before he next hears arguments on the matter.

“I don’t plan on giving this expedited treatment,” Goldberg told the attorneys at hearing in the Cook County Circuit Court in Chicago, before setting the July hearing date.

Liska sued the Schaumburg-based mobile phone maker on Feb. 20, claiming he was dismissed after questioning financial projections for the company’s mobile-devices unit during a Jan. 28 meeting with board members. He is seeking at least $50,000 in damages.

Motorola announced Liska’s departure in a Feb. 3 statement without saying why he left. In court documents, the company said the executive was dismissed for “his extortionate scheme to enrich himself.”

On April 15, it filed papers asking Goldberg to consider punishing Liska for allegedly deleting potential evidence from a laptop computer he returned to the company after his ouster.

The case is Liska v. Motorola Inc., 09L2079, Cook County, Illinois, Circuit Court, Law Division (Chicago).