Kohl's Loses Effort to Block Key Exec From Moving to Another Retailer

Kohl's Corp. lost a fight with a key technology executive Monday as a judge refused to stop her from taking a higher-paying job with an upscale retailer. Reserve Judge Robert G. Mawdsley said Kohl's hadn't shown that a noncompete contract covering former chief information officer Janet Schalk was likely to stand up under Wisconsin law. Mawdsley refused the Menomonee Falls-based company's request for a temporary injunction barring Schalk from taking a post as chief information officer of Hudson's Bay Co., operator of Saks Fifth Avenue and other chains. The decision doesn't end the case, but it's a huge victory for Schalk, 56, whom both sides characterize as a highly competent technology executive.