Can relationships with referral sources give rise to a legitimate business interest sufficient to enforce a non-compete? The answer is yes, at least in Florida.
A Little Helpful Background
Generally speaking, non-compete agreements (that prevent a former employee from working for your competitor) are not enforceable unless they protect an employer’s “legitimate business interest.” Non-competes
Many companies have their employees execute non-compete clauses either in employment agreements or as separate documents. The justification for doing so is to protect the company from training workers who later leave and take their new talents and the company clients to a competitor or to protect certain trade secrets. Most states restrict the terms
Employees in Alabama, like in many other places, often are required to sign employment agreements, most of which contain future restrictions on certain activities. The menu items for these agreements usually include covenants not to compete, not to solicit customers, not to poach other employees, and not to steal information (we call that committing a