As various states and federal agencies seek to prohibit or limit the use of non-competes, Connecticut joined the trend. Connecticut’s new legislation, SB 9, expands restrictions on the enforceability of physician non-competes and extends these restrictions to advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and physician assistants (PAs).

Connecticut: SB 9

On June 5, 2023, the Connecticut Senate passed SB 9, sending it to Governor Ned Lamont to sign into law. The governor’s signature is a formality as the bill passed both houses of the Connecticut Legislature unanimously. By limiting the circumstances in which non-competes are enforceable under Connecticut law, SB 9 adds additional restrictions to the use of such covenants in physician employment agreements while extending these restrictions to APRN and PA employment agreements. Notably, the bill was significantly amended prior to passage with earlier versions banning non-competes for physicians, APRNs and PAs entirely.Continue Reading New Non-Compete Health Care Restrictions in Connecticut

Recently, we wrote about New Hampshire’s attempts to piggyback on Massachusetts’ material change doctrine. In this post, we’re taking a look at Connecticut’s latest legislative effort to limit non-competes—House Bill 5249.

In many ways, HB 5249 borrows from Massachusetts’ 2018 bill (although unlike the New Hampshire bill, it doesn’t tackle the material change doctrine). For example, like the Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act, the law would limit non-competes to a geographic area commensurate with where the employee works during the last 2 years of their employment, and to the kinds of work the employee performs during those 2 years. The duration of a non-compete would typically be limited to no longer than one year like under Massachusetts law, except that the Connecticut bill would permit a covenant of up to two years where the employer pays the employee’s base salary and benefits.
Continue Reading It’s Déjà Vu All Over Again—Connecticut Borrows Heavily from Massachusetts Law in Proposed Non-Compete Legislation

On March 7, 2019, a group of six United States senators from both sides of the aisle submitted a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting a federal investigation into the use of non-compete agreements on the basis that their widening use in recent years raises concerns about their negative impact on both workers and the national economy.  Specifically, the letter asks the GAO to assess the following three questions:

  1. What is known about the prevalence of non-compete agreements in particular fields, including low-wage occupations?
  2. What is known about the effects of non-compete agreements on the workforce and the economy, including employment, wages and benefits, innovation, and entrepreneurship?
  3. What steps have selected states taken to limit the use of these agreements, and what is known about the effect these actions have had on employees and employers?

Continue Reading U.S. Senators Request Review of Non-Compete Agreements by the Government Accountability Office

shutterstock_331572470We’ve written a lot this summer about the Massachusetts legislature’s latest failed attempt at non-compete reform. Two other states in New England, however, are able to claim accomplishments in that regard. Specifically, Connecticut and Rhode Island each enacted statutes this summer imposing significant restrictions on the use of non-compete provisions in any agreement that establishes employment or any other form
Continue Reading Two New England States Pass Legislation Restricting Physician Non-Competes

shutterstock_134112389As we have frequently reported in this blog, social media privacy issues increasingly permeate the workplace.  For example, earlier this year, Montana and Virginia joined a growing number of states in enacting laws restricting employer access to the social media accounts of applicants and employees.  With Governor Dannell Malloy’s approval of similar legislation in Connecticut on May 21, the Constitution
Continue Reading Connecticut Governor Signs New Social Media Privacy Legislation

By Robert Milligan and Joshua Salinas

As part of our annual tradition, we are pleased to present our discussion of the top 10 developments/headlines in trade secret, computer fraud, and non-compete law for 2013. Please join us for our complimentary webinar on March 6, 2014, at 10:00 a.m. P.S.T., where we will discuss them in greater detail. As with all
Continue Reading Top 10 Developments/Headlines in Trade Secret, Computer Fraud, and Non-Compete Law in 2013

We previously reported on H.B. 6658, which was introduced earlier this year in the Connecticut House of Representatives. On the last day of the legislative session, the Connecticut legislature enacted a substantially watered-down version of the bill as Public Act No. 13-309, the full text of which can be found here. In yet another twist, however, last Friday Governor
Continue Reading Connecticut Governor Vetoes Noncompete Statute Passed By Legislature

We previously reported on H.B. 6658, which was introduced earlier this year in the Connecticut House of Representatives.  The Connecticut Legislature passed the legislation on the last day of the legislative session.  The final text of the Act, which was enacted as Public Act No. 13-309 and will go into effect on October 1, 2013 assuming the Act is signed
Continue Reading Connecticut Legislature Passes Non-Compete Legislation

Connecticut has recently proposed non-compete legislation which could dramatically impact restrictions on employee mobility. 

The bill, known as “Employer Use of Noncompete Agreements,” is House Bill 6658.  The bill recently passed in the Judiciary Committee, and is currently pending before Connecticut’s House of Representatives.

As it is written, the bill is intended to apply to all Connecticut employers.  The
Continue Reading Non-Compete Legislation Proposed in Connecticut

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed a Connecticut federal court’s order dismissing for lack of personal jurisdiction a Connecticut corporation’s complaint for misappropriation of trade secrets by a Canadian employee of the plaintiff’s Canadian subsidiary. The complaint alleged her knowledge that her employer’s emails were stored on its parent corporation’s servers in Waterbury, Connecticut. Therefore, the claim that
Continue Reading Connecticut Court Has Jurisdiction Over Canadian Defendant Charged With Misappropriation of Canadian Company’s Trade Secret Emails