Can a former employee be sued for violating a non-competition agreement in a State the employee has never set foot in? The answer, according to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Tekway, Inc. v. Agarwal, 19-CV-6867 (Oct. 7, 2020), is quite likely “Yes” if that State is where the employer is based and the employee has “directed” conduct to that State.
Continue reading
In a decision that may contain some useful reminders as businesses rehire employees who were let go during the coronavirus pandemic and economic downturn, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit recently handed down a decision affirming the denial of a former employer’s request to enforce a non-competition agreement against an employee it had terminated and then rehired. Russomano v. Novo Nordisk Inc., No. 20-1173 (Ist. Cir. June 2, 2020).
The employer did not have the employee sign a new agreement upon rehire, but instead tried to rely on the his original agreement. The First Circuit held that the non-compete ran from the date of the employee’s original termination and expired one year into his rehire, leaving him free to compete after its expiration. Continue reading
In Abrasic 90 Inc. v. Weldcote Metals, Inc., 364 F. Supp.3d 888 (N.D. Ill., 2019), U.S. District Court Judge Tharp of the Northern District of Illinois provides a virtual checklist of the steps a company should consider if it wants its important information to be treated as a trade secret. Alternatively, the decision serves as a valuable reminder of what happens if an employer fails to implement appropriate protective measures. Continue reading
In reversing the trial court’s grant of a preliminary injunction, the Illinois Appellate Court in Archer Daniels Midland Company v. Sinele et al., (2019 IL App 4th 180714, decided February 1, 2019) reminds employers that the doctrine of inevitable discovery is not a foolproof substitute for enforceable post-employment restrictions on competition. Continue reading
In Fay v. Total Quality Logistics, LLC, the South Carolina Appellate Court determined that the confidentiality provision in an employment agreement was so broad that it needed to be reviewed under the standards applicable to non-competition agreements and, because it lacked a durational provision, held it unenforceable. Continue reading
Having flipped the calendar over to a new year, here’s a look back at some of the developments in trade secrets and restrictive covenants that shaped the law in 2016. Some major developments came not from the courts, but from the legislative and executive branches—both federal and state.
Continue reading
Jimmy John’s received less than favorable publicity in the fall of 2013 when published reports described the sandwich chain’s requirement that its sandwich-makers sign Confidentiality and Non-Competition Agreements before they could prepare your turkey sub. The agreement prohibited, in part, employees from working at food service venues which derive 10% or more of their sales from the sale of sandwiches, submarines, or wraps within a three-mile radius of any Jimmy John’s for two years after the Jimmy John’s employment ends. Continue reading
H2 Non-Compete & Trade Secrets Law Blog 