Contracts that restrict or prohibit competition during or after the term of employment are enforceable, “so long as such contracts are reasonable in time, area, and line of business…” Florida Statute § 542.335. A non-compete provision that prohibits a doctor from seeing any patients from medical practice that formerly employed him/her, is not overbroad, provided…
Continue reading ›Florida employers that seek to enforce Florida non-compete agreements outside the state of Florida cannot presume that out-of-state courts will enforce the agreement as that agreement would have been enforced in Florida. Florida’s non-compete law, § 542.335, Florida Statutes, is considered by many to be the most “pro-employer” in the nation. Other states may refuse…
Continue reading ›Generally, a non-compete agreement is enforceable if it is in writing, supports an employer’s legitimate business interest, and is not overly restrictive in its duration and geographical area. See Florida Statute § 542.335. The Florida Statute governing non-compete agreements lists several public policy considerations that appear, at first blush, to be an impediment to the…
Continue reading ›Agreements in restraints of trade are generally void unless they comply with the procedures of § 542.335, Florida Statutes. The statute requires that any agreement restraining trade, such as a non-compete or non-solicitation agreement, be supported by a “legitimate business interest.” An agreement restraining trade can only be enforced to the extent that the agreement…
Continue reading ›Many sales positions, irrespective of the industry, require employees to establish personal relationships with prospective or existing customers. Sales employees often meet and greet a business’ existing and potential customers, at the business’ expense to ensure current and future business success. These substantial relationships formed by employees may constitute a protected legitimate business interests as…
Continue reading ›The Florida Arbitration Code provides businesses with flexibility in resolving their conflicts through arbitration. Arbitration is an immensely popular method of conflict resolution for Florida business litigation and employment litigation. Arbitration can generally help resolve disputes more quickly than litigation. However, parties to arbitration sometimes need court intervention via “provisional remedies,” i.e., a court ruling…
Continue reading ›The Florida Legislature has enacted a new statute impacting non-compete agreements for certain specialty physicians, effective June 25, 2019. Pursuant to Florida Statute § 542.336, there is no “legitimate business interest” to support non-compete agreements for physicians licensed under Chapter 458 and 459 of the Florida Statutes, where there is only one entity that employs…
Continue reading ›Employers in litigation against their employees face the challenge of not only dealing with the claims made by those employees, but the threat of being left to pay the attorneys’ fees bill of their opponents. Employers can mitigate that risk, and sometimes even turn the tables and win their attorneys’ fees from their former employees,…
Continue reading ›A temporary injunction is an available remedy when a party establishes that it has a valid, enforceable non-compete agreement that was violated. Fla. Stat. § 542.335(1)(j). Subsections 542.335(1)(b) and (c) of the Florida Statutes, set the standard for enforcing non-compete agreements and require the party seeking enforcement to plead and prove: (1) the existence of…
Continue reading ›A forum-selection clause is a structural provision of a contract that addresses the procedural requirements for dispute resolution. In other words, the contracting parties may choose which forum, i.e. which federal or state court, for prospective disputes to be filed. Courts must enforce forum-selection agreements unless they are shown to be unreasonable or unjust. Peter…
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