Where Plaintiff Was “Demoted” In Violation of an Employment Agreement, the Restrictive Covenants in the Agreement Are No Longer Enforceable

The First Department determined the restrictive covenants agreed to by the plaintiff in conjunction with the job he was hired to do did not apply to the job, with diminished responsibility, he was subsequently assigned (in violation of the employment contract):

The significant change in plaintiff’s duties constituted a material breach of his employment agreement … . * * *

The record demonstrates that defendants did not have a legitimate interest in restricting plaintiff from working for a competitor once he was in his demoted position … . Although the employment agreement acknowledged the uniqueness of plaintiff’s services, that acknowledgment was made in connection with plaintiff’s acceptance of a position he no longer held at the time of his resignation. Further, the record is devoid of evidence that plaintiff possessed any trade secrets or confidential customer lists … . Thus, insofar as the restrictive covenants contained in the employment and option agreements prohibited plaintiff from competing …, they are unenforceable. Fewer v GFI Group Inc, 2015 NY Slip Op 00440, 1st Dept, 1-15-15