The simplest way to get out of that kind of contract is merely to ask them to release your from it. If they refuse, you might need to get a lawyer to aid you in doing so. Non-compete contracts usually have penalties specified and certainly have durations. A contract that the courts deem to be unfair can be nullified.
Non-compete agreements cannot be used if an employee earns less than $75,000 per year. (Note: this salary baseline increases in 2027 and in 5 year periods after that.) Non-solicitation agreements cannot be used if the employee earns less than $45,000 per year.
Illinois courts generally disfavor non-competes as a restraint of trade. However, Illinois courts enforce non-compete agreements if they are: Reasonable. Supported by adequate consideration.
Under case law, non-competes will only be enforceable if they are no wider than reasonably necessary to protect a legitimate interest (e.g. protection of confidential information or customer contacts) and are not contrary to the public interest.
On April 23, 2024, the FTC announced its Final Non-Compete Clause Rule (“Final Rule”), which bans post-employment non-compete clauses between employers and their workers.
Illinois courts generally disfavor non-competes as a restraint of trade. However, Illinois courts enforce non-compete agreements if they are: Reasonable. Supported by adequate consideration.
The employer's breach of the parties' employment relationship or unclean hands can serve as a defense to defeat a covenant not to compete or non-solicitation clause signed by the employee, even if that agreement is otherwise properly narrowly drafted and enforceable.
Tax Implications Non-compete agreements are generally taxed as ordinary income to the seller, which from the seller's perspective is less than desirable. But, for a buyer, it is expensed as incurred, which is desirable for the buyer but not the seller.