Articles Posted in Non-Compete Agreements

There are many important differences between employees and independent contractors that businesses must consider before contracting to hire one or the other. Some of these differences include, but are not limited to, the following: 1. Independent contractors are not subject to federal or state labor and employment laws like employees are; 2. The procedure for…

Florida’s Non-Competition Covenant Statute, Section 542.335, lays out the requirements for enforceable restrictive covenants. One of the main requirements pursuant to subsection (b) of the statute is that the party seeking to enforce the restrictive covenant must plead and prove the existence of one or more “legitimate business interests” justifying the restrictive covenant. The Miami…

The Mavrick Law Firm regularly represents entrepreneurs who open businesses in industries in which they were formerly employees. As such, often times we are confronted with covenants not to compete signed by the entrepreneur when he or she was employed with his or her former employer. The restrictive covenants will usually restrict the entrepreneur from…

The Mavrick Law Firm’s earlier publication, Florida Non-Compete: Supreme Court To Resolve Conflicting Appellate Court Decisions, examined a conflict between the Fourth District Court of Appeal and the Fifth District Court of Appeal that centered around of the protection of referral sources in the home healthcare industry by Florida’s Non-Compete Statute, § 542.335, Fla. Stat.…

All businesses, especially those that may become the target of a merger or acquisition, that want their successor entities or assignees to have the right to enforce non-compete agreements against their former employees should include a provision that allows third-parties to enforce the non-compete agreements. Unless a non-compete agreement expressly authorizes enforcement of the non-compete…

The Florida Supreme Court will soon release an opinion that settles whether unidentified prospective patients and referral physicians are protected legitimate business interests within the meaning of Florida’s Non-Compete Statute, § 542.335 Fla. Stat. On March 9, 2017, the Florida Supreme Court heard Oral Arguments in Americare Home Therapy, Inc., Etc. v. Hiles, a medical…

As discussed in prior articles, Florida’s Non-Competition Covenant Statute, § 542.335, permits covenants restraining competition so long as the restrictive covenant meets certain statutory requirements. One of the statutory requirements is that the party seeking to enforce the restrictive covenant must “plead and prove the existence of one or more legitimate business interests justifying the…

An employer can protect its relationships former clients by establishing that an ongoing business relationship exists with the past client, or by presenting competent and substantial evidence to prove the existence of a substantial relationship within the meaning of § 542.335, Florida Statutes. Under Florida law, the key issue is that the court will view…

Florida’s Non-Compete Covenant Statute, section 542.335, establishes certain requirements for covenants restraining competition, and once such statutory requirements are met, the restrictive covenant becomes enforceable. Section 542.335(1)(j) allows restrictive covenants to be enforced through a temporary injunction, which, pursuant to Rule 1.610(a)(1)(A) of the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure, may be granted only if “it…

Non-compete agreements are not always enforceable. Florida typically requires that all competition be allowed, and there shall be no restriction of competition, but there’s a separate statute in Florida, which is 542.335 Florida statutes that governs non-compete agreements. That statute requires that there be certain legitimate business interests of the employer set out in the…