Renee Ashton is a world-renowned lyric soprano. Renee has performed famous operatic roles in virtually every country around the world, but settles in Orlando, Florida when she tires of traveling. Renee signs a 5-year contract with Disney containing a non-compete clause. Two years into the contract, Renee terminates her employment with Disney to sing with the Orlando Opera Company. Based on the non-compete clause, a court may force Renee to return to Disney for the duration of the contract.

Question

Renee Ashton is a world-renowned lyric soprano. Renee has performed famous operatic roles in virtually every country around the world, but settles in Orlando, Florida when she tires of traveling. Renee signs a 5-year contract with Disney containing a non-compete clause. Two years into the contract, Renee terminates her employment with Disney to sing with the Orlando Opera Company. Based on the non-compete clause, a court may force Renee to return to Disney for the duration of the contract.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The purpose of a non-compete clause is to prevent an employee with a special skill from benefiting a competitor upon severance of the employment relationship. The non-compete clause does not give the employer the right to force a breaching employee to perform the remainder of a valid employment contract. A court may, however, enforce a valid non-compete clause to prevent an employee from using his/her skills and services to benefit any other employer during the duration and within the scope of the valid non-compete clause.

Renee Ashton Is a World-Renowned Lyric Soprano