PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - ERISA Forfeiture Litigation
The California Supreme Court issued its decision, on August 11, 2025, in Hohenshelt v. Superior Court (Golden State Foods Corp.), S284498, addressing whether the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) preempts California’s statutory...more
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice’s recent decision in Wigdor v Facebook Canada Ltd, 2025 ONSC 4051 provides helpful clarity for employers on two key issues: the enforceability of restricted stock unit (RSU) forfeiture...more
In the recent Wigdor v Facebook Canada Ltd. and Meta Platforms, Inc., 2025 ONSC 4051 decision (the “Decision”), which has not yet been reported, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice upheld the enforceability of restricted...more
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) recently clarified the scope of the Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act (MNAA). In Susan Miele v. Foundation Medicine, Inc., the SJC held the MNAA does not apply where a...more
On June 13, 2025, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) issued a significant decision in Miele v. Foundation Medicine, Inc. (SJC-13697) confirming that the Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act (the “MNAA”) does...more
Imagine you’re a private equity firm. You buy a company, and you want to retain and incentivize key employees, so you give them some equity in the form of incentive units. You also want to prevent them from running off and...more
In Lawson v. Spirit AeroSystems, Inc., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit upheld the forfeiture of certain stock awards for violating a covenant not to compete. Like the Seventh Circuit in LKQ Corp. v....more
In North American Fire Ultimate Holdings, LP v. Alan Doorly, the Delaware Court of Chancery held that the restrictive covenants included in an incentive unit grant agreement were unenforceable when the units received by the...more
On March 19, 2025, the German Federal Labor Court (Bundesarbeitsgericht or BAG) held in Case No.: 10 AZR 67/24 that certain forfeiture clauses in General Terms and Conditions of Business (Allgemeine Geschäftsbedingungen or...more
In 2024, employers rushed to track the twists and turns of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) noncompete ban, which attempted to limit the enforceability of agreements that restrict employees from working for a competitor...more
On Monday, March 3, 2025, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”) heard argument in Miele v. Foundation Medicine, Inc., regarding whether the Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act, G. L. c. 149, § 24L (the...more
In a notable holding, the Delaware Supreme Court has confirmed that forfeiture-for-competition provisions generally are not subject to reasonableness review, greatly enhancing the likelihood of their enforceability. LKQ...more
The Delaware Supreme Court’s ruling in Cantor Fitzgerald v. Ainslie, which reversed the Court of Chancery’s 2023 finding that forfeiture-for-competition provisions should be evaluated by the same “reasonableness” standard as...more
The Delaware Supreme Court recently clarified that forfeiture-for-competition clauses under the Employee Choice Doctrine may be enforceable against a broader range of employees, including middle managers, not just...more
We began 2024 with the Delaware Supreme Court’s decision in Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P. v. Ainslie. We end the year with further clarity around the scope and contours of that decision. On December 17, responding to two questions...more
The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) ban on noncompetition covenants (“noncompetes”) could significantly impact the design and administration of employee benefits and executive compensation arrangements....more
FTC RULE BANS NON-COMPETE CLAUSES FOR NON-SENIOR EMPLOYEES - Non-compete clauses have long been a contentious issue in employment agreements, with concerns raised about their potential to stifle competition and limit...more
The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (the “Department”) has published proposed regulations that would make significant changes to the state’s wage and hour laws. The proposed provisions, collectively termed the...more
Even before the California Supreme Court decided Edwards in 2008, employers knew all too well the woes of attempting to enforce non-competes against California employees. Edwards simply reaffirmed California’s long-standing...more
Seit Inkrafttreten des Mindestlohngesetzes (MiLoG) am 01.01.2015 stellt sich die Frage, ob Ausschlussklauseln in Arbeitsverträgen Ansprüche auf den Mindestlohn ausdrücklich ausnehmen müssen....more
A recent ruling of the Federal Labor Court will invalidate thousands of forfeiture clauses in employment contracts in Germany. Companies need to review and revise their standard employment contracts now and explore options to...more
It is rare for the highest German labour court to issue a decision that will require employers to take immediate action with respect to their employment contracts. On September 18, 2018, however, the Federal Labour Court...more
California has long led the nation in its disdain for noncompetition agreements. Pressed by venture capitalists who believe that this gives California an advantage over other states, the Massachusetts legislature has finally...more
Introduction Jimmy John’s In 2014, Emily Brunner (“Brunner”) and Caitlin Turowski (“Turowski”) filed a complaint in Illinois against the sandwich company, Jimmy John’s, and its franchise affiliates. The complaint was amended...more