Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn

ARTICLE · 10 JANUARY 2025

NLRB Judge Upholds Non-Compete Provision

Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Explore more from Barnes & Thornburg LLP

Employers seeking to protect their business interests through non-competes scored another win recently.

United StatesEmployment and HR
Christopher Rubey
Christopher Rubey
Author LinkedIn connections

Employers seeking to protect their business interests through non-competes scored another win recently. Permobil, Inc., a manufacturer of wheelchairs and wheelchair accessories, faced claims that it violated the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) with an overly restrictive employment agreement.

The claim arose after Permobil sued Mark Westphal for violating the non-compete provision of his employment agreement. The provision barred former employees from working for competitors in the United States for one year. In addition, the employment agreement stated that workers cannot disclose confidential or proprietary information or disparage the company and its products.

National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo brought the matter before the NLRB, contending that a non-compete violated an employee's Section 7 rights under the NLRA by preventing the employee from voluntarily quitting to force their employer to meet their demands.

We operate a free-to-view policy, asking only that you register in order to read all of our content. Please login or register to view the rest of this article.

Register for freeORLog in

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

View source

Related Articles

Legal Intelligence Newsletters: sign up for the latest legal and regulatory news on your chosen topics

Read more about

Related Comparative Guides

See more popular content from

Article

Treasury Issues Temporary Regulations On Trump Accounts And Contributions

The U.S. Department of the Treasury and IRS recently issued temporary regulations that provide an immediately effective framework for establishing and administering “Trump Accounts,” including broad automatic enrollment and large-scale contributions funded by governmental and charitable donors. The regulations became effective September 30, 2026, apply to taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, and expire September 30, 2029.
United StatesEmployment and HR
Fennemore Craig, P.C.
Fennemore Craig, P.C.
Article

California Passes AB-1883 Targeting AI Workplace Surveillance Of Employees’ Emotional State And Neural Data

On Aug. 30, AB-1883 received final legislative approval and now heads to California Governor Gavin Newsom for signature or veto. If enacted, AB-1883 would prohibit employers from using workplace surveillance tools that rely on artificial intelligence (AI) to recognize, infer, or predict an employee’s emotional state, or to collect “neural data.”
United StatesEmployment and HR
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Article

2026 Changes To FLSA Overtime Exemption Rules: What Employers Should Know About Revised Salary Requirements

Federal overtime exemption rules have shifted back to 2019 standards following court challenges to the Department of Labor's 2024 salary threshold increases. Understanding how these revised requirements affect executive, administrative, professional, and highly compensated employee classifications is critical for maintaining wage-hour compliance.
United StatesEmployment and HR
Genova Burns
Genova Burns
Article

Recent Developments In Mobley v. Workday: California Court Allows Key AI-Hiring Bias Claims To Move Forward

On June 22, 2026, in Mobley v. Workday, Inc., U.S. District Judge Rita Lin largely denied Workday’s motion to dismiss the plaintiffs’ Third Amended Complaint, including rejecting the company’s argument that California’s anti-discrimination laws do not apply to its screening of applicants outside California who are applying for jobs in other states or countries.
United StatesEmployment and HR
Reavis Page Jump LLP
Reavis Page Jump LLP
Article

DOL Announces New Enforcement Policy For Mental Health Parity Nonquantitative Treatment Limitation Requirements

The US Department of Labor has issued new guidance establishing a streamlined framework for enforcing mental health parity requirements under MHPAEA, focusing enforcement on three priority areas while maintaining nonenforcement of controversial 2024 rule provisions. This guidance aims to reduce compliance burdens on plan sponsors while ensuring participants maintain access to mental health and substance use disorder benefits comparable to medical and surgical coverage.
United StatesEmployment and HR
Mayer Brown
Mayer Brown
Article

IEEPA Tariff Refunds: Critical Developments, Phase III Delays, And Action Steps For Importers

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has begun processing IEEPA tariff refunds through its CAPE system, but Phase III covering finally liquidated entries faces delays and requires court orders. With the Department of Justice appealing the universal refund order and class certification pending, importers with finally liquidated entries may need to file individual lawsuits at the Court of International Trade to preserve their claims before statutory deadlines expire.
United StatesInternational Law
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Article

California Passes AB-1883 Targeting AI Workplace Surveillance Of Employees’ Emotional State And Neural Data

On Aug. 30, AB-1883 received final legislative approval and now heads to California Governor Gavin Newsom for signature or veto. If enacted, AB-1883 would prohibit employers from using workplace surveillance tools that rely on artificial intelligence (AI) to recognize, infer, or predict an employee’s emotional state, or to collect “neural data.”
United StatesEmployment and HR
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Article

Russia Sanctions And Tariffs: What Businesses Need To Know About The Graham Act

President Trump has signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, introducing sweeping new tariffs of up to 100% on countries purchasing Russian energy and up to 500% on Russian-origin goods. The legislation also codifies existing executive order sanctions into statute, requiring congressional action to lift restrictions and creating mandatory secondary sanctions on foreign financial institutions transacting with designated Russian banks. Companies face immediate compliance challenge
RussiaInternational Law
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Article

AI May Be The Missing Link To Your Company’s Trade Secret Theft: What In-House Counsel Should Know

As a business and intellectual property attorney, I spend much of my practice helping corporate clients protect and enforce their intellectual property through patents. But patents are not the only game in town. Trade secrets offer an equally valid, and in many cases, a more practical and affordable means of protecting valuable proprietary information, provided a company implements and maintains reasonable protective measures.
United StatesIntellectual Property
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Article

Federal Court Melts USCIS Freeze On Adjudication Of Immigration Benefits For Nationals Of 39 Countries

A federal court has vacated USCIS policies that froze immigration benefit adjudications for nationals of 39 countries under an expanded travel ban, but the State Department's separate pause on immigrant visa issuance for 75 countries remains in effect. Employers must now distinguish between domestic USCIS benefits that can proceed and consular processing that remains suspended when planning for affected workers.
United StatesImmigration
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Barnes & Thornburg LLP