The BUSKLAW Newsletter

  Are you a party to a Michigan employment contract that includes non-competition, non-solicitation, and confidentiality provisions? Have you wondered whether these restrictive covenants have teeth, i.e., are they enforceable via a preliminary injunction? That's a great question, and we have the answer from Michigan Business Court Judge Christopher Yates in his recent decision:  Aaron Symonds v Lighthouse Insurance Group, Inc. Let's start with the facts. Mr. Symonds was a shareholder (i.e., not a mail clerk) in the Lighthouse Insurance Group . He signed an employment agreement that included non-competition, non-solicitation, and confidentiality obligations. He then voluntarily left Lighthouse to work for a Lighthouse competitor,  Collins & Associates , as their Vice-President of Commercial Lines. In that capacity, he began to solicit several Lighthouse clients to move their property and casualty insurance over to Collins. Symonds conceded under oath that his work for Coll