“Legal Battle: Court Upholds Employment Agreements”

1. Four physicians in Tampa, Florida left their practice group to work with a local competitor.
2. They had previously signed employment agreements that included non-compete and non-solicit provisions.
3. The court enforced these provisions against the physicians.
4. The case serves as a reminder that non-compete disputes can be expensive and unpredictable. – The appellate court found that the doctors breached the non-solicit agreement and the non-compete agreement.
– The court determined that the plaintiff demonstrated irreparable harm, unavailability of an adequate legal remedy, a substantial likelihood of success on the merits, and that the public interest supported an injunction.
– It was established that the plaintiff proved the existence of legitimate business interests justifying the restrictive covenant, including valuable confidential information and substantial relationships with specific customers. – The doctors violated their non-solicit agreements by providing services to former patients of their employer without obtaining written consent.
– The evidence showed that the doctors treated 644 former patients of their employer after leaving, resulting in 8,000 patient visits that the employer lost.
– The non-compete agreements also prohibited the doctors from being employees of a competing ambulatory center within a 25-mile radius, which they violated. 1. The appellate court found that the non-solicit and non-compete agreements were likely supported by legitimate business interests, such as patient relationships and geographic patient goodwill.
2. The trial court was ordered to reconsider the enforcement of the doctor’s restrictive covenants based on the appellate court ruling.
3. The appellate court left the trial court with little choice but to grant a temporary injunction against the doctors. – Cantrell Astbury Kranz, P.A. is a litigation boutique that specializes in non-compete and unfair competition disputes, employment law, and business disputes in Florida and Georgia.
– The practice areas include business disputes, breach of contract, partnership disputes, franchisors & franchisees, securities & FINRA, defamation, libel & slander, sexual harassment, non-competes and employee mobility, unpaid commissions & bonuses, discrimination, harassment, & retaliation, family and medical leave act, and executive compensation.
– The law firm has a team of experienced lawyers and has achieved success in resolving claims through trial-tested senior attorneys and practice groups specializing in serious personal injury, commercial litigation, and employment law.

Florida Court Enforces Non-Compete and Non-Solicit Agreements Against Tampa Physicians