In Reliable Fire Equipment Company v. Arrendondo [pdf], discussed here, the Supreme Court of Illinois dramatically altered how protectable legitimate business interests in noncompetition agreements were to be reviewed under Illinois law, clarifying what it felt were decades of misapplication. On February 3, 2012, the first decision was issued applying Reliable Fire in a retroactive fashion, resulting in an Illinois appellate court reversing and remanding a lower court decision denying enforcement of a noncompetition agreement.
Articles Discussing Restrictive Covenants In Illinois.
Illinois Supreme Court Expands Scope of Covenants Not to Compete
On December 1, 2011, the Supreme Court of Illinois issued its opinion in Reliable Fire Equipment Company v. Arrendondo, Case No. 2011 IL 111871, addressing and clarifying several issues relating to the enforceability of noncompetition agreements in Illinois and setting forth a standard that may result in employers facing a lighter burden to enforce such agreements against former employees.