On January 8, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to consider an appeal from a former Stryker Corp. sales representative. The appeal arose from a case involving a non-compete agreement between a Louisiana employee and a Michigan employer.

The non-compete agreement contained a forum-selection clause stating that any dispute arising out of the agreement must

Business conflictEarlier this month a federal district court judge entered a temporary restraining order (TRO) against a former Panera executive and his new employer, Papa Johns. The TRO arose out of a lawsuit to enforce the former Panera executive’s non-compete agreement. That agreement restricted him from competing against Panera for one year after his employment ended.

Legal HurdlesA Court ruled that a company didn’t show a substantial likelihood that it would succeed in enforcing noncompetition restrictions against four former employees. This failure, however, is an important reminder for companies with multi-state operations or employees who may live in a state where non-compete restrictions are not favored or otherwise enforceable.

Turning to the