Enforceability of Physician Non-Compete Agreements
A California appellate court recently denied a motion to compel arbitration, finding the agreement unconscionable in part because it (1) applied to all claims rather than just those arising from employment, (2) was unlimited...more
A recent decision reminds parties about the need to draft dispute resolution clauses that are tailored to the parties’ agreement. The Court of Appeal recently ruled that an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) clause in...more
It is not uncommon for loan agreements to provide for fees, penalties, and default interest in the event of the borrower’s late payment. However, a case recently published by California’s First Appellate District — Honchariw...more
In M & P Drug Mart Inc. v. Norton, 2022 ONCA 398, the Court of Appeal for Ontario (OCA) dismissed an employer’s appeal of an application judge’s decision that a non-competition clause in an employment agreement governed by...more
Last month, in American Plumbing Professionals, Inc. v. ServeStar, LLC, Georgia’s Court of Appeals reversed a trial court’s determination that a non-compete provision was unenforceable and void because its territory was too...more
On February 25, 2022, the Wyoming Supreme Court issued a decision prohibiting courts from revising, or “blue penciling,” noncompete agreements to be reasonable and enforceable under the law. The decision overrules the Wyoming...more
A federal appellate court declined to enforce a choice-of-forum clause finding enforcement would conflict with Michigan’s Franchise Investment Law (“MFIL”). Lakeside Surfaces, Inc., a maker of stone countertops, sued...more
Ninth Circuit Reverses Class Action Settlement Approval and Fee Award - The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed the approval of a $10 million voucher settlement and a $2.6 million attorneys’ fee award in a class...more
On June 14, 2021, the Colorado Supreme Court provided an answer to the long-standing question of whether “use-it-or-lose-it” vacation policies are permissible under the Colorado Wage Claim Act (CWCA). In the case of Nieto v....more
Courts have struggled through the years when considering the enforceability of mandatory class action waivers and arbitration provisions contained within Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) plans and other...more
The First Circuit Court of Appeals recently rejected a party’s argument that an arbitration agreement was unenforceable because the contract containing the arbitration clause had been allegedly terminated and superseded. The...more
Liquidated damages provisions in contracts are unenforceable if they constitute a "penalty". The past few years have seen subtle but important shifts in how the concept of a penalty is defined. A recent decision from the...more
On November 22, 2019, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, the court with jurisdiction over Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, handed down a decision that invalidates certain provisions in arbitration...more
A California Court of Appeal held that courts should not enforce forum selection clauses in contracts that also contain a jury waiver. For franchisors that have California franchisees, this ruling could complicate the ability...more
In recent years, North Carolina courts have become increasingly resistant to enforcing noncompetition and non-solicitation restrictions they view as insufficiently narrowed to the specific competitive threat presented by the...more
Sinatra may have found success in the city that never sleeps, but a California court has just made it more difficult for any party doing business with a California resident to do the same. At least, when it comes to resolving...more
California Employee mobility and the right to compete are sacrosanct in California, and have been since its Legislature enacted section 16600 of the California Business and Professions Code, which voids “every contract by...more
In a pair of opinions issued on Aug. 20, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit expressly overruled its 35-year precedent that Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) disputes were not arbitrable. The...more
When we talk with clients about post-employment “noncompete” agreements, this term actually encompasses a number of different restrictions. In addition to provisions that restrict the employee from working for a competitor...more
To much fanfare and the great excitement of many employment lawyers, the UK Supreme Court recently delivered its first judgment on employment post-termination restrictions for a century, in Tillman v. Egon Zehnder. The court...more
On June 28, 2019, the Ninth Circuit issued three decisions confirming that the FAA does not preempt California’s so-called “McGill” rule. As a result, the court invalidated provisions of the arbitration agreements in each...more
On July 3, 2019, in a long-awaited judgment the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom clarified the correct approach to deciding whether words can be severed from a post-employment covenant to leave an employee bound by the...more
The UK Supreme Court has today published its long-awaited judgment in Egon Zehnder Ltd v Tillman. It held that a six month post-termination non-compete covenant was enforceable against a departing employee even though it...more
The Supreme Court of South Carolina recently determined that non-signatory insureds could not be compelled to arbitrate their claims under an arbitration clause in an agency agreement where the insureds did not obtain a...more
In California, a holdover tenant (a tenant who remains in possession after the expiration of the written lease) has fewer rights than a tenant operating under a lease....more