The ongoing legal battle between HR tech rivals Rippling and Deel has taken a dramatic new turn, drawing in UK-based fintech unicorn Revolut. At the heart of this increasingly tangled web lies a payment of roughly $6,000 a month allegedly made to a Rippling employee as part of a covert spying scheme against the company.
According to a detailed affidavit from Keith O’Brien, an Irish employee at Rippling, he received monthly payments of approximately $6,000 to secretly gather intelligence on his employer. The initial payment, O’Brien said, reached him through a Revolut account, sent by an individual named Alba Basha Westgarth in November 2024. Alba Basha Westgarth is notably married to Deel’s Chief Operating Officer, Dan Westgarth, and at the time was employed as Robinhood’s crypto compliance lead, according to a now-deleted LinkedIn account TechCrunch reviewed. Robinhood confirmed that she departed the company earlier this year but provided no details on the circumstances of her exit.
The situation has grown even more complex due to the geographical implications: Alba Westgarth’s deleted LinkedIn profile indicated her current location as Dubai—likely chosen due to its reputation as a jurisdiction resistant to extradition. This aspect adds mounting frustration for Rippling, as the company’s executives reportedly struggle to serve legal papers to Deel’s leaders currently thought to be residing there.
Rippling has now expanded its legal strategy by directly targeting Revolut. In a lawsuit filed in Ireland, Rippling is demanding Revolut divulge the personal details behind the $6,000 payment—specifically the full identity and address of “Alba Basha,” who is marked as the sender. Rippling also seeks account-opening documentation, including copies of government-issued identification and utility bills, to solidify evidence around the identity involved.
In response, Revolut has engaged prominent legal representation in Ireland and addressed Rippling’s request through a recent letter. A Rippling lawyer described Revolut’s reply as “helpful but complicated” during a court session, without offering further explanation. Revolut, for its part, has indicated that while it cannot comment on specifics related to ongoing cases, the company always complies fully with official court orders requesting disclosure of information.
Under stringent European Union privacy regulations, however, sharing such data without a direct court mandate or customer consent is legally complex. Particularly challenging for Rippling is obtaining a civil court order that could compel Revolut to release the required documents.
Deel, facing significant scrutiny after these allegations, has repeatedly denied wrongdoing but has not responded publicly to recent developments. Dan Westgarth and Alba Basha Westgarth have similarly declined to comment on the claims against them, while Rippling itself has also withheld additional statements on the case.
Despite the evident hurdles, Rippling appears to have gained tentative judicial sympathy. During an April 2 hearing at the Irish High Court, Rippling’s attorneys presented evidence linking Alba Westgarth and Deel COO Dan Westgarth, including photographs from social media platforms showing the pair together. Justice Mark Sanfey noted in court that while the connection “could be a coincidence,” it was, in his own phrasing, “unlikely.”
Whether Revolut will ultimately share the crucial account information remains unclear at this stage, leaving Rippling to navigate the complicated intersection between privacy laws, international jurisdictions, and corporate espionage allegations.
