Jimmy John’s Under Fire for Controversial Non-Compete Agreements

The controversial non-compete agreements that Jimmy John’s has required all of its employees to sign has gotten the attention of the New York attorney general. The attorney general’s office sent inquiries to the Jimmy John’s corporate offices asking for clarifications and explanations of this business practice. Controversy is surrounding these agreements because they essentially threaten rank and file employees with a lawsuit for simply getting employment at another place that does similar business.

A non-compete agreement is traditionally used to protect intellectual property from leaving with employees of one business and getting taken directly to a competitor at another business. New York City non-compete agreement attorneys are criticizing Jimmy John’s for making lower level employees sign these agreements because they put undue duress on their ability to earn a living. They do not have any important intellectual property in their positions, but they must worry about getting sued if they seek other employment.

In practice, New York non-compete agreements are barely worth the paper they are written on. That does not mean that they are not an effective deterrent because of the litigation expense that comes with going to court to get them through out. Any non-compete agreement attorney in NYC will tell you that you should speak with legal counsel in advance of signing any of these agreements. A little bit of preventative legal action can save you thousands of dollars in the long run.

Come speak with our NYC non-compete agreements attorneys at Hepworth, Gershbaum & Roth PLLC immediately if you have been asked to sign a non-compete agreement by your employer. We help people negotiate or avoid signing these agreements to protect their long-term career interests. Call us at 212-545-1199 or you can contact us online to schedule an appointment.