If an employee breaches a non-compete clause, you may have grounds for taking them to court. A court could oblige them to stop breaching the term, and you may also be able to have your legal costs covered.
Non-compete clauses play a significant role in protecting businesses in the United Kingdom, both in employment relationships and M&A transactions. While these clauses are generally enforceable, they must meet the test of reasonableness and be designed to protect legitimate business interests.
Consequently, even where non-compete clauses are found in employment contracts, they may not necessarily be enforceable, unless a court considers that the non-compete clause is to protect a “legitimate business interest” and is no wider than reasonably necessary.
How To Legally Get Out of a Non-Compete Agreement Get a New Job That Doesn't Involve Competitive Activities. Prove That Your Former Employer Breached the Contract. Argue That the Non-Compete Provision Isn't Enforceable. Show That Your Previous Employer Has No Legitimate Business Interests.
Negotiating with your old employer. You might be able to persuade your old employer to ignore a restriction, or at least make it shorter. To make you follow it they'd need to go to court to prove the restriction is reasonable. This is time-consuming and can be expensive, so they might prefer to compromise.
An employee is entitled to refuse a contract containing restrictive covenants. The employee can ask the employer to either change or remove the covenants. However, restrictive covenants are standard in employment contracts. Ultimately, the employer may refuse any changes.
Add information about the parties involved. Describe the terms of the Non-Compete Agreement, such as the length and area of the restriction. If necessary, you can include a non-solicitation clause. Add a confidentiality clause.
In Massachusetts, a non-compete is only enforceable to protect a legitimate business interest.
For a non-compete agreement to be enforceable, New Jersey courts require that the non-compete agreement (1) protects the legitimate interests of the employer; (2) does not impose an undue hardship on the employee; and (3) is not injurious to the public.