Non-competes in Massachusetts have been a hot topic in 2009. On October 7, 2009, the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development held a public hearing on proposed non-compete legislation, entitled An Act Relative to NonCompete Agreements, sponsored by Representatives William Brownsberger (D-Belmont) and Lori Ehrlich (D-Marblehead). The experience of Caroline Huang, whose career was negatively affected by a broad restrictive covenant that kept her out of her field, encouraged Representative Brownsberger to focus on non-compete legislation. Ms. Huang’s website, Prohibit Restrictive Employment Covenants, provides many resources and updates regarding the proposed bill.

I was fortunate to be in the position to provide commentary on the drafts that led to the final proposed bill. I also testified at the public hearing with a client, who years prior found her livelihood in jeopardy when her former employer tried to enforce an overly broad non-compete agreement. Although we were successful in opposing the employer’s Motion for Preliminary Injunction, the cost in doing so sometimes prevents employees from properly asserting their rights. Employers know this and, unfortunately, often attempt to leverage the disparity in spending power. This creates a perverse outcome in which an employee is forced to abide by an otherwise unenforceable non-compete in order to avoid legal fees.

One of the highlights of the proposed legislation is a clause that entitles employees to attorneys’ fees “if the court declines to enforce a material restriction or reforms a restriction in material respect.” This will discourage employers from pursuing tenuous claims and help to preserve scarce judicial resources. Notably, the bill also limits non-competes to employees earning an annual salary of more than $75,000. Finally, the proposed legislation creates a presumption of enforceability for non-compete agreements that span up to 6 months.