Tag Archives: non-compete agreement

Non-Compete Reform Comes to Massachusetts

By on August 30, 2018

     After years of trying to find common ground on non-compete reform, the Massachusetts legislature passed a bill – which Governor Charlie Baker signed into law on August 10, 2018 – that promises to significantly change the employment landscape in the Commonwealth. The new law will take effect on October 1, 2018.

The following is a brief, non-exhaustive overview of some of the law’s most notable features:

  • The law defines a non-competition agreement as an “agreement between an employer and an employee, or otherwise arising out of an existing or anticipated employment relationship, under which the employee or expected employee agrees that the employee will not engage in certain specified activities competitive with the employee’s employer after the employment relationship has ended,” but excludes certain agreements from its purview, including: (1) non-compete agreements made in connection with the sale of a business; (2) non-compete agreements made in connection with the cessation or separation of employment (provided the employee is given seven business days to rescind acceptance); (3) employee non-solicitation covenants; (4) customer/client/vendor non-solicitation covenants; and (5) non-disclosure of confidential information agreements.                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
  • Both traditional employees and independent contractors are covered under the law.                                                                                                                                                                                              
  • All agreements must be in writing and signed by both parties, and must expressly affirm an employee’s right to consult with counsel before signing.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
  • If a non-compete agreement is signed at the beginning of an employment relationship, it must be given to the employee when the employment offer is made or 10 days before the commencement of employment, whichever is earlier.  Agreements signed after the commencement of employment must be “supported by fair and reasonable consideration independent from the continuation of employment.”                                                                                
  • The law requires so-called “garden leave pay” or some “other mutually agreed-upon consideration.” Garden leave pay refers to an agreement in which the employer, during the course of the restricted period, continues to pay the former employee at least 50 percent of the “highest annualized base salary” that employee received within the two years preceding his or her termination. The law does not further define or elaborate upon what “other consideration” might be acceptable in lieu of garden leave pay, however.  In addition, it remains to be seen whether garden leave pay constitutes sufficient consideration for those non-competes executed after the commencement of an employment relationship, or whether some consideration above and beyond the garden leave pay is required in those circumstances.                                                                                                                                                  
  • Agreements not to compete must be “reasonable.” They can be no broader than necessary to protect a legitimate business interest; they cannot exceed one year in duration; their geographic scope must be reasonable; and they must otherwise be reasonable “in the scope of proscribed activities in relation to the interests protected.”                                                   
  • Non-compete agreements may not be enforced against non-exempt employees; undergraduate or graduate students engaged in short-term employment; employees who have been terminated without cause or laid off; or employees who are 18 years old or younger.                                                                                                                                                      

These new requirements apply only to non-compete agreements entered into on or after October 1, 2018. Nevertheless, employers may wish to revise existing non-compete agreements for current employees in order to avoid disparities amongst employees, as well as potential future litigation.

 

 

Massachusetts House of Representatives Passes Non-Compete Reform

By on June 30, 2016

     On June 29, 2016, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed House bill 4434, An Act Relative to the Enforcement of Noncompetition Agreements. Non-compete reform has been brewing in the Massachusetts legislature for several years, but the reform sought by many may finally be here, if the bill is enacted.  This bill contains two key provisions: an adoption of a version of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, and substantial reform of Massachusetts non-competition law, which thus far has been only addressed by the courts.  The Uniform Trade Secrets Act section provides for injunctive relief and reasonable attorney’s fees to protect trade secrets, and supersedes any conflicting laws providing for civil remedies for trade secret misappropriation.

     The non-compete reform represents significant changes to existing law. The bill provides that a non-compete agreement must comply with seven criteria to be valid and enforceable: (i) if entered into in connection with the commencement of employment, it must be in writing and signed by employer and employee, and state that employees have the right to consult with a lawyer; (ii) if entered into after commencement of employment, it must be supported by fair consideration independent from continued employment; (iii) it must be no broader than necessary to protect trade secrets, other confidential information, or the employer’s goodwill; (iv) it may not exceed a duration of 12 months unless the employee has misappropriated employee property, in which case it may be extended to 2 years; (v) it must be reasonable in geographic scope, defined as where the employee provided services or had a material presence; (vi) it must be reasonable in scope of proscribed activities in relation to the interests it protects; and (vii) it must be supported by a “garden leave clause” or something similar, defined as a payment from the employer to the employee during the restricted period.

     Finally, the bill provides that non-competition agreements shall not be enforceable against certain categories of employees, including those classified as nonexempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act, and those terminated without cause or laid off.

     While the Uniform Trade Secrets Act provision of the bill is unlikely to draw controversy, as it is generally consistent with current law in the Commonwealth, the House bill 4434 contains significant changes to non-competition law. Should this bill be enacted into law, employers will need to update their non-competition agreements to ensure enforceability. 

Copying Employer Data Ruled Not a Material Breach of Employment Contract

By on March 29, 2016

A recent Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court case, EventMonitor, Inc. v. Anthony Leness, narrowly interpreted a common employment contract provision. Leness was an executive at EventMonitor. The parties signed an employment agreement, which provided the manner in which EventMonitor could terminate Leness’s employment. The agreement provided a  for-cause termination provision, permitting termination if Leness engaged in fraud or “defalcation” (misappropriation) of EventMonitor’s funds or other assets. The employment agreement also included a nondisclosure provision, requiring Leness to avoid disclosure of any of EventMonitor’s proprietary information and to return all such information if his employment terminated.

After six years of employment, the relationship between Leness and EventMonitor soured, and EventMonitor terminated Leness without cause. Shortly thereafter, EventMonitor learned that Leness had bought a one-year subscription to an on-line data storage service, and used this service to copy all of EventMonitor’s files that were on the computer. These files included proprietary information. After learning that Leness copied such information, EventMonitor retroactively changed Leness’s termination to be “for cause,” which allowed EventMonitor to suspend severance payments owed to Leness.

EventMonitor sued Leness for breach of contract, and Leness asserted several counterclaims, arguing that EventMonitor had no valid reason to consider Leness’s termination “for cause” and cease making severance payments. After a bench trial, the judge found that Leness had not materially breached the employment contract, and thus could not have been fired for cause. The judge found for EventMonitor on other counts, and both parties appealed.

The Supreme Judicial Court upheld the ruling. The court explained that a contract breach is a material breach when it involves “an essential and inducing feature of the contract.” Although Leness’s copying and failure to return EventMonitor’s proprietary information was a breach of the employment contract, the breach was not material because there was no evidence that Leness used the proprietary information for any purpose or disclosed the information to anyone. The court accepted the trial judge’s finding that the essential purpose of the relevant section of the employment contract was to protect the confidentiality of EventMonitor’s proprietary information, and as there was no evidence that EventMonitor’s information was disclosed to any third parties, Leness’s contract breaches were not material.

This ruling may be surprising to some observers because Massachusetts courts are ordinarily very protective of a business’s confidential information, and there was no dispute that Leness retained copies of such information. However, the plain language of Leness’s employment contract indicated that EventMonitor wanted to prevent the disclosure of such information. Because such information was not actually disclosed, EventMonitor’s interests, as stated in its contract, were protected. This ruling is instructive for employers.  Employment contracts should expressly state that the return of all company information is considered a material part of the agreement, and further that any severance packages are conditioned on not only the nondisclosure of proprietary information, but also on its full return, in order to ensure their enforceability. Concerned companies should contact a Massachusetts employment lawyer for a review of their contracts.