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Husch Blackwell LLP

Supreme Judicial Court Limits Scope of Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement

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The Massachusetts legislature passed the Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act (MNAA) in 2018, culminating a longstanding effort to balance employers’ rights to protect legitimate business interests—such as trade...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Florida’s CHOICE Act Enacted: Helping Employers Read Between the Lines of the New Non-Compete Law

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

Florida’s CHOICE Act, short for “Contracts Honoring Opportunity, Investment, Confidentiality, and Economic Growth” (CHOICE), is now law. For details of the Act, see Florida’s CHOICE Act Offers Employers Unprecedented Tools...more

Fennemore

Federal and California’s Shared Interest in Promoting Open Competition: Isn’t it Ironic?

Fennemore on

This article provides a brief history of California’s pro-competition law and describes the stalled federal initiative to extend a similar noncompete ban nationally, notwithstanding the overlapping policy interests expressed...more

Stikeman Elliott LLP

Status Update: Ontario Court Upholds RSU Forfeiture Provision, Despite Employment Agreement Violating the ESA

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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

Foley & Lardner LLP

Delaware Court Confronts Issue of First Impression: When a Company Attempts to Enforce a Noncompete Seeking Only Damages, Does the...

Foley & Lardner LLP on

In Fortiline, Inc. v. McCall, the plaintiffs sought to enforce a noncompetition agreement against its former employees through a preliminary injunction. The court denied the injunction, holding the noncompetition agreements...more

ArentFox Schiff

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Ruling: Noncompetition Agreement Act Does Not Apply to Forfeiture Clauses

ArentFox Schiff on

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

Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP

Contemporaneous Onboarding Documents May Invalidate An Employer’s “Squeaky Clean” Arbitration Agreement

Cross Country Healthcare, Inc., a healthcare staffing company, believed that it had a “squeaky clean” Arbitration Agreement with its employees. ...more

Falcon Rappaport & Berkman LLP

Delaware Chancery Court Narrows the Path for Enforceable Non-Competes: Lessons from North American Fire and Payscale

A notable trend has emerged in Delaware with respect to the enforceability of non-competes – while once considered a management-friendly jurisdiction, two recent decisions demonstrate a marked shift towards a closer scrutiny...more

Conn Kavanaugh

It’s Confirmed: Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act Excludes Non-Solicitation Agreements

Conn Kavanaugh on

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

Saul Ewing LLP

Sausage Race Heats Up: Hormel Foods Sues Sausage Competitor Johnsonville Claiming Trade Secrets Misappropriation

Saul Ewing LLP on

Just in time for grilling season in the Midwest, Hormel Foods Corporation (“Hormel”) filed a federal lawsuit in the District of Minnesota against its competitor, Johnsonville, LLC (“Johnsonville”), and two former Hormel...more

Mintz - Employment Viewpoints

Top Massachusetts Court Clarifies That Non-Solicitation Covenants Fall Outside the State’s Non-Compete Law

In a closely watched decision, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in Miele v. Foundation Medicine, Inc. clarified that the Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act (MNAA) (G.L. c. 149, § 24L) does not apply to...more

Morgan Lewis

Massachusetts High Court Clarifies Noncompete Law’s Scope, Declines to Let Nonsolicits ‘Through the Back Door’

Morgan Lewis on

In Miele v. Foundation Medicine, Inc., the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) clarified that the Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act (MNAA or the Act) does not apply to a forfeiture clause triggered by a breach...more

BCLP

Hong Kong High Court Grants Injunction to Enforce Restrictive Covenants

BCLP on

In two separate decisions in April 2025, the Hong Kong High Court first refused, but then allowed, an IT company’s application for an interlocutory injunction to enforce post-termination restrictive covenants against its...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

The Forfeited Equity Trap: Why Your Non-Compete Might Be Worthless

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

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

Fox Rothschild LLP

Wolfspeed, Durham-Based Semiconductor Producer, Fighting Financial Peril in the Market and Employee Exits in the Courts

Fox Rothschild LLP on

Wolfspeed, a Durham-based silicon carbide semiconductor business, has plenty on its plate these days amid media reports of an impending bankruptcy reorganization. While such a filing would be aimed at a short(ish) judicial...more

Hendershot Cowart P.C.

Are Non-Compete Agreements Banned in Texas?

Last year in April, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published a rule to ban most non-compete agreements nationwide. Within hours the rule was challenged in courts across the country, and after months of federal litigation...more

Mintz - Employment Viewpoints

Mintz On Air: Practical Policies – When Should You Hire an Employment Lawyer?

In the latest episode of the Mintz on Air: Practical Policies podcast, Member Jen Rubin discusses with colleague and Member Andrew Bernstein when the best time is to hire an employment lawyer. This episode is part of a series...more

Mintz

[Podcast] Mintz On Air: Practical Policies – When Should You Hire an Employment Lawyer?

Mintz on

In the latest episode of the Mintz on Air: Practical Policies podcast, Member Jen Rubin discusses with colleague and Member Andrew Bernstein when the best time is to hire an employment lawyer. This episode is part of a series...more

Proskauer - Employee Benefits & Executive...

Tenth Circuit Affirms Distinction Between Forfeiture and Penalty for Competition

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

Troutman Pepper Locke

Restrictive Covenants Unenforceable Where Consideration Forfeited

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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

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

North Carolina Business Court Decision on Noncompetes and Trade Secrets Has Implications for Employers

Earlier this month, the North Carolina Business Court addressed important issues surrounding noncompete and nondisclosure agreements, providing valuable insights for employers navigating these complex areas of employment law....more

Jenner & Block

Delaware Supreme Court Reaffirms Reluctance to Blue-Pencil Overbroad Restrictive Covenants in Sunder v. Jackson

Jenner & Block on

The Delaware Supreme Court’s decision in Sunder Energy, LLV v. Jackson, No. 455, 2023, 2024 Del. LEXIS 407 (December 10, 2024) reaffirmed the courts’ limited willingness to modify or “blue-pencil” overbroad restrictive...more

Foley & Lardner LLP

Noncompetes in Flux: What Else Can Employers Do to Protect Themselves?

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As we continue to report, noncompete agreements have been subject to unprecedented scrutiny over the past few years. Last April, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) finalized a rule (“Final Rule”) ostensibly banning...more

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

Employee pirates can plunder a business. Arrrgh ye ready?

Piracy is defined as robbery by ship- or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, with a goal of stealing cargo or other valuables. During the Golden Age of Piracy, from the 1680s to the 1720s, infamous...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Feeling Competitive: The Reasonableness of Forfeiture-for-Competition Provisions

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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

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