A federal court in Texas has thrown out the government's ban on noncompete agreements that was set to take effect September 4. In her ruling, Judge Ada Brown of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas wrote that the federal agency had overstepped its power when it approved the ban.
On August 20, 2024, a Texas federal court ruled that the FTC's final rule banning most non-compete agreements (the “Non-Compete Rule”) cannot go into effect as scheduled.
compete in Texas is void if it has unreasonable terms, lacks adequate consideration, or doesn't protect legitimate business interests.
While Texas courts generally disfavor non-compete agreements, they will enforce a non-compete covenant if it is executed for valid consideration, contains reasonable geographic, temporal, and activity restrictions, and protects the employer's legitimate business interests.
While Texas courts generally disfavor non-compete agreements, they will enforce a non-compete covenant if it is executed for valid consideration, contains reasonable geographic, temporal, and activity restrictions, and protects the employer's legitimate business interests.
What happens if you break a non-compete in Texas? If a covenant not to compete is violated, a court may award the employer monetary damages and/or injunctive relief, but it will generally not be able to recover its attorney's fees.
In Texas, a court has the ability to modify – or even nullify – the non-compete if the court determines that it is not reasonable. The courts are given wide latitude to reform a non-compete if the court believes the scope of activity, duration, or geographic area are too restrictive.
A covenant not to compete is often found in an employment contract or a sale of business contract .
Under Texas law noncompete agreements can be enforceable if: The noncompete provision is part of an otherwise enforceable agreement. The non-compete requirement is supported by valid consideration (consideration meaning something of value provided to the employee).