Tag Archives: Non-solicitation

Last week, the First Circuit affirmed a preliminary injunction enforcing a one-year non-solicitation agreement against the Massachusetts-based former sales director of a California-based health care company that develops products to treat spinal disease. The sales director resigned from his position with the health care company to found and work for an exclusive distributor for the health care company. A few months later, the sales director dissolved his new company,… More

In a decision that could affect Massachusetts companies with employees in California, a California appellate court voided a non-solicitation clause in former employees’ agreements.

It is well known that under California law, post-employment non-competition agreements are unenforceable, except in very limited circumstances. California courts have been slightly more forgiving of non-solicitation provisions, both as to employees and customers.  Employee non-solicitation provisions occasionally have been upheld when tested against a reasonableness standard.… More

As followers of the recent debate about noncompetes in Massachusetts are well aware, a significant impetus in the push for a change in Massachusetts law has been the contrast provided by California, where employee non-competition agreements generally are unenforceable.   As reported here when the MA debate started in earnest, proponents of efforts to prohibit noncompetes have argued that Silicon Valley has fared better than the Massachusetts tech sector in recent years at least in part because, in the absence of noncompete enforcement,… More