When settling a lawsuit or pre-litigation disputes, parties sometimes insist on including non-disparagement clauses in their settlement or severance agreements. Broadly speaking, these clauses prevent one or both parties to the agreement from making negative comments about each other.
Example: The following non-disparagement clause would be unlawful under Government Code section 12964.5: “Former Employee agrees that they will not make any statement, directly or indirectly, verbally or in writing, that would cause harm or embarrassment to the Company.” claims in a separation agreement?
It is generally unlawful in California for an employer's severance agreement to state that you may not compete against the employer in a future job.
These agreements don't even have to be signed to be deemed problematic, the board noted: If the firm merely presents employees with agreements that contain broad language requiring confidentiality or nondisparagement, it is engaging in an unfair labor practice.
The decision issued on February 21, 2023 by the NLRB restricts companies from demanding silence from laid-off employees through confidentiality, non-disclosure, and non-disparagement provisions in their severance agreements.
Key Takeaways. Employers' confidentiality, severance, and nondisparagement agreements must include carveouts to comply with federal whistleblower laws. Employers cannot prohibit employees from disclosing confidential or disparaging information to government regulators.
A neutral reference clause is a provision in an employment separation or settlement agreement where the employer agrees to provide only basic information about a former employee, typically limited to dates of employment and job title, without any positive or negative commentary.