Employers often include in employment contracts what are referred to as “restrictive covenants.” This term is generally used to describe two main types of contractual clause: the non-solicitation clause and the non-compete clause.
There may be terms in your contract that says you can't work for a competitor or have contact with customers for a period of time after you leave the company. These are called 'restrictive covenants'. Your company could take you to court if you breach the restrictive covenants in your contract.
Courts have held that restrictive covenants are presumptively unenforceable on the basis that they are considered a restraint of trade contrary to public policy.
A provision in a contract under which a party agrees to perform (an affirmative covenant) or abstain from performing (a negative covenant) a particular act.
In North Carolina, there's a noteworthy aspect of restrictive covenants to consider; most covenants automatically expire after 30 years unless they are specifically for residential purposes only. This statutory limitation is a safeguard against outdated or unreasonable restrictions binding properties in perpetuity.
In the United States, employers generally use four types of restrictive covenants: (1) covenants not to compete for a certain period of time following the employee's termination from employment (or following a business transaction such as a sale, merger, etc.); (2) covenants not to solicit customers or clients for a ...
Restrictive Covenants, Explained This restricts how homeowners can manage and modify their land. Examples include restrictions on fence options, the type of animals allowed and the use of outbuildings, such as sheds.
Are discriminatory restrictive covenants illegal? Generally, yes. Since the United States Supreme Court's 1948 decision in the case Shelley v. Kraemer, restrictive covenants based on race have been unenforceableA contract will not be enforced by a court of law..
Ingly, if, for example, a restrictive covenant between employer and employee includes a five-year term, the covenant is unlikely to be deemed enforceable by a court. In the sale of business context, courts typically are more willing to enforce covenants lasting longer than 1-2 years.
North Carolina's “blue-pencil” rule This rule allows the court to strike out a distinctly separable part of the covenant in order to render the non-compete agreement reasonable. The court, though, may not otherwise revise or rewrite the covenant.