A recurrent theme in non-compete litigation is the overriding importance of choice-of-law. The latest example comes to us from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas and pits a Texas choice-of-law provision against Oklahoma public policy. Let’s take a look: Sometime in early 2013, Tulsa, Oklahoma based F&M Bank began talks … Continue reading
A recent case out of the Eastern District of New York raises interesting questions about the use of non-compete agreements in connection with merger talks. Let’s take a look: Calico Cottage, Inc. is a New York company engaged in the wholesale fudge business. That’s right. Calico sells both the ingredients needed to make fudge, fudge … Continue reading
An interesting case out of the Eastern District of North Carolina reminds us of the importance of choice of law when dealing with non-compete litigation. Let’s take a look: In December 2009, Associated Hygienic Products (“AHP”) hired James DeFelice as the Director of Purchasing. AHP makes disposable diapers. This is a huge and growing market … Continue reading
Dimitrios Tsirkos first became a Mister Softee franchisee in the mid 1980’s. To be clear, we are talking about the ice cream truck business. Over the years, Tsirkos entered several franchise agreements with Mister Softee and ultimately controlled sixteen Mister Softee franchises with a territory spanning parts of Bronx, New York and Queens Counties. At … Continue reading
In the past few months, we have seen a number of decisions involving non-compete issues in the grocery industry— from appellate courts, no less. That trend continues. This case comes out of the Eighth Circuit and involves some of my former colleagues from Boies, Schiller & Flexner. C&S and SuperValu are the two largest grocery … Continue reading
A recent non-compete case out of Florida’s Third District Court of Appeals deals with the issue of restrictive covenants and independent clauses. Let’s take a look: In the Trial Court Defendants Dale Denton and David West were employees of Richland Towers, Inc. They signed employment agreements with Richland that contained, among other restrictive covenants, non-compete … Continue reading
This is not your standard non-compete case: Just days ago, the Eleventh Circuit handed down its opinion in an extremely complex dispute related to shopping plazas, anchor tenants and restrictive covenants. Let’s take a look: Winn-Dixie is a regional grocery store chain based in Jacksonville, Florida. It has hundreds of supermarkets throughout the Southeast. In … Continue reading
A recent decision out of the Northern District of New York is a fantastic example of the thorough, methodical process all courts should bring to the analysis of non-compete claims. The decision also provides a wealth of useful information about defending non-compete claims under New York law. Let’s take a look: Two companies, DS Parent, … Continue reading
A recent case out of the Northern District of Texas and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals touches upon the intersection of non-compete agreements and ERISA plans. From 1998 until his resignation in 2010, George Wall worked for Alcon Laboratories, a major pharmaceutical company. In the years leading up to Wall’s resignation, Alcon was in … Continue reading
Call it a trend. These days, non-compete litigation is everywhere: All across the country and in every industry imaginable. Some industries generate more non-compete litigation than others. And perhaps no industry has more non-compete litigation than the healthcare industry. In any field that is remotely connected to healthcare or medicine, you will find widespread use … Continue reading