South Florida Arbitration & Litigation Lawyer Blog
Post-Employment Restrictive Covenants – Insurance and other Businesses:
This post provides a general discussion concerning post-employment restrictive covenants that may be found in employment agreements in the State of Florida. The statute governing this issue is Florida Statute 542.335.
Florida, by statute, has determined that post-employment restrictive covenant agreements are valid restraints of trade or commence under certain conditions. Specifically, section 542.335, Florida Statutes (2005), which took effect on July 1, 1996, contains a comprehensive framework for analyzing, evaluating and enforcing restrictive covenants contained in employment contracts. A violation of an enforceable restrictive covenant creates a presumption of irreparable injury. Section 542.335 employs the term “restrictive covenants” and includes all contractual restrictions such as noncompetition/nonsolicitation agreements, confidentiality agreements, exclusive dealing agreements, and all other contractual restraints of trade. If valid, a restrictive covenant may be enforced by way of temporary and permanent injunctive relief. § 542.335(1)(j), Fla. Stat. (2005).
Section 542.335(1), Florida Statutes, permits enforcement of contracts that restrict or prohibit competition, but only “so long as such contracts are reasonable in time, area, and line of business….” The statute also requires “that any restrictive covenant be set forth in a writing signed by the person against whom enforcement is sought, and that the restraint be shown to be reasonably necessary to protect a ‘legitimate business interests [sic]’ justifying the restriction.” A “legitimate business interest” includes “substantial relationships with specific prospective or existing customers … or clients.” § 542.335(1)(b) 3., Fla. Stat. (2005). The party seeking enforcement of the non-compete agreement must present a prima facie case that the restrictions are reasonably necessary to protect its legitimate business interests. § 542.335(1)(c), Fla. Stat. (2005). The opposing party then has the burden of proving the contractual restraint is overbroad, overlong, or otherwise not reasonably necessary to support the restriction.
Please keep in mind that this information is being provided for educational purposes only. Thus, it is not designed to be complete in all material respects. Therefore, it should not be relied upon as legal or investment or legal advice. If you have any questions concerning the contents of this post, please consult a qualified professional.
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At the Fort Lauderdale Law Office of Russell L. Forkey, we represent clients throughout South and Central Florida, including Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Sunrise, Plantation, Coral Springs, Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Delray, Boynton Beach, Hollywood, Lake Worth, Royal Palm Beach, Manalapan, Jupiter, Gulf Stream, Wellington, Fort Pierce, Stuart, Palm City, Jupiter, Miami, Orlando, Maitland, Winter Park, Altamonte Springs, Lake Mary, Heathrow, Melbourne, Palm Bay, Cocoa Beach, Vero Beach, Daytona Beach, Deland, New Smyrna Beach, Ormand Beach, Broward County, Palm Beach County, Dade County, Orange County, Seminole County, Martin County, Brevard County, Indian River County, Volusia County and Monroe County, Florida. The law office of Russell L. Forkey also represents South American, Canadian and other foreign residents that do business with U.S. financial institutions, investment advisors, insurance dealers, brokerage and precious metal firms.