Non-Compete Signed 16 Years After Employment Start Date Is Too Late (To Be Enforced) – Says KY High Court

In prior articles, I’ve discussed how restrictive covenants (i.e., non-disclosure, non-solicitation and non-competition provisions) are staples of modern-day employment contracts and business sale agreements.  In Creech, Inc. v. Brown (http://law.justia.com/cases/kentucky/supreme-court/2014/2012-sc-000651-dg.html) the Supreme Court of Kentucky struck down a non-competition provision in a hay supplier’s written contract the supplier made a long-time employee sign several years after he started working there. The …

Shareholder Oppression: A Frustrated Mess?

Yikes! That was a bad one.  But there’s your James Marshall Hendrix reference for the day. Shareholder oppression is another easy-to-say, hard-to-apply legal standard that can trigger the break-up of a closely held corporation.  Broadly, it applies where a dominant shareholder squeezes out or excludes a minority shareholder from having a say in the corporation’s …

Paper Lace In The House: Court Invalidates $5M Plus Contract to (Sort Of) Use Someone’s Last Name

I promise there will be no ‘What’s In a Name?’ (the Bard), “What’s My Name?” (Snoop Dogg) or “I’ve Got a Name” (the late great Jim Croce) references.  And while I’m on the subject – is there anything MORE 1970s AM-JAM or K-Tel then Jim Croce?  I don’t think so.  Well maybe that weird “Billy Don’t Be A …