Wrigg v. Junkermier, Clark, Campanella, Stevens, P.C.
Annotate this CaseEmployee worked as a shareholder accountant for Employer. Employee's employment contract contained a covenant not to compete. After Employer ended its employment relationship with Employee, Employee began working at Employer's competitor, where she provided accounting services for a few of Employer's former clients in violation of the restrictive covenant. Employee sought a declaration that the covenant was unenforceable. The district court determined that the covenant was reasonable and enforceable. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that Employer's covenant was unenforceable because (1) Montana law requires that an employer establish a legitimate business interest in a restrictive covenant, which demands that the restriction on post-employment activities be necessary to protect an employer's good will, customer relationships, or trade information; (2) an employer lacks a legitimate business interest in a covenant when, under ordinary circumstances, it ends the employment relationship with the employee; and (3) Employer in this case elected to end its employment relationship with Employee without any misconduct on the part of Employee.
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