Unraveling the Concept of Garden Leave: Insights From Silicon Valley — Hiring to Firing Podcast
As economic pressures continue into 2026, multinational employers are once again planning large-scale workforce reductions. Many approach these reductions as they would in the United States—as coordinated, single-day events...more
Former employees of The Boston Beer Company, Inc.—a company that sells brand names like Samuel Adams and Twisted Tea—have filed a putative class action lawsuit to challenge the sufficiency of monetary payouts for departing...more
The Boston Beer Company faces a class action suit challenging the sufficiency of payouts to departing employees that signed noncompetition agreements....more
Last month, in Hailey Boyd et al. v. The Boston Beer Co., Inc., D. Mass. 1:25-cv-13618, two former brewery representatives of the Boston Beer Company (Boston Beer) initiated a putative class action for alleged violations of...more
In Florida, two recent court rulings and a number of laws enacted in 2025 will directly impact employers. This article summarizes the two cases and the new laws, which address open carry of guns, medical marijuana use by...more
The Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act (MNAA) took effect in October 2018, imposing certain statutory requirements for noncompete provisions to be enforceable. When the statute became law, many eagerly awaited case...more
Starting July 1, 2025, Florida became the most business-friendly state for non-compete and garden leave agreements due to the protections created by the Florida Contracts Honoring Opportunity, Investment, Confidentiality, and...more
In a departure from the legislative trends in certain states to curtail post-employment restraints, the state of Florida has bucked the tide to take the most employer friendly approach to restrictive covenants. On April 24,...more
With the passage of the Florida Contract Honoring Opportunity, Investment, Confidentiality, and Economic Growth (CHOICE) Act (the “CHOICE Act”), which took effect on July 1, 2025, Florida has emerged as one of the most...more
In May of this year, we reported that Florida was on the cusp of enacting employer-friendly restrictive covenant legislation. Earlier this month, Florida passed that bill, enacting the “Florida Contracts Honoring...more
On July 1, the Florida Contracts Honoring Opportunity, Investment, Confidentiality, and Economic Growth (CHOICE) Act took effect, positioning Florida as one of, if not the most, employer-friendly states in noncompete and...more
Florida recently enacted the Contracts Honoring Opportunity, Investment, Confidentiality, and Economic Growth (CHOICE) Act (“The CHOICE Act” or “Act”), which brings significant changes to the manner in which the state...more
With the Federal Trade Commission’s non-compete ban out of the picture, the Supreme Court barring most universal injunctions, and the National Labor Relations’ Board directive identifying non-compete agreements as violating...more
As states across the country move to limit or ban non-compete agreements, Florida is taking a sharp turn in the opposite direction. Already a friendly jurisdiction for non-competes, the state is doubling down on employer...more
While states across the country, including Texas and Virginia, continue to enact laws that restrict or ban noncompete agreements, a new Florida law does the opposite. Effective July 1, 2025, the Contracts Honoring...more
As jurisdictions around the country continue to impose limitations—or outright bans—on restrictive covenants, Florida is taking a decidedly different approach....more
The Biden Administration and several states have sought to limit non-compete agreements in recent years as restraints on trade. Florida has long been more accepting of them and has just moved further into this camp. The...more
Florida just enacted a new law that seals its status as the most enforcement-friendly state in the country for non-compete and garden leave agreements. The “Florida Contracts Honoring Opportunity, Investment, Confidentiality,...more
Employers can relax and enjoy the Florida sunshine. Here is why: On April 24, 2025, the Florida Legislature passed the Florida Contracts Honoring Opportunity, Investment, Confidentiality, and Economic Growth (CHOICE) Act. Not...more
Over the past several years, EmployNews has chronicled multiple legislative, regulatory, and judicial assaults on the use of noncompetition agreements with employees. These attacks have weakened or eliminated employers'...more
What is the CHOICE Act? On April 24, 2025, Florida state lawmakers passed the Contracts Honoring Opportunity, Investment, Confidentiality, and Economic Growth Act or CHOICE Act. The CHOICE Act is a law reforming...more
As referenced in our blog post discussing notable noncompete changes nationwide, Florida lawmakers are changing how the Sunshine State views noncompete and garden leave agreements....more
The Florida House and Senate recently passed the Contracts Honoring Opportunity, Investment, Confidentiality, and Economic Growth (CHOICE) Act by an overwhelming majority. The CHOICE Act will substantially reshape Florida...more
A bill recently passed by the Florida House and Senate and poised to become law effective July 1, 2025, will substantially change the noncompete landscape for employers doing business in Florida. If Gov. Ron DeSantis signs...more
It’s hard to keep up with all the recent changes to labor and employment law, especially given the rapid pace at which the new administration has been moving on initiatives impacting the workplace and beyond. For the latest...more