Opinion ID: 2510251
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The firm has protectable interests in its proprietary information, its referral sources, and patient relationships established and/or nurtured by Dr. Miller during his employment with the firm.

Text: Generally speaking, non-compete provisions are permissible means to protect employers from their former employees who would use proprietary or other confidential business information to compete against them. See, e.g., Hopper v. All Pet Animal Clinic, Inc., 861 P.2d 531, 540 (Wyo.1993). And medical services firms, particularly those providing specialized care, generally have protectable interests in referral sources. Valley Med. Specialists v. Farber, 194 Ariz. 363, 982 P.2d 1277, 1284 (1999) (citing Medical Specialists, Inc. v. Sleweon, 652 N.E.2d 517, 523 (Ind.Ct.App.1995)); Weber v. Tillman, 259 Kan. 457, 913 P.2d 84, 91 (1996); Ballesteros v. Johnson, 812 S.W.2d 217, 223 (Mo.Ct.App.1991). An employer also has a protectable interest in the customer relationships its former employee established and/or nurtured while employed by the employer and is entitled to protect itself from the risk that a former employee might appropriate customers by taking unfair advantage of the contacts developed while working for the employer. Freiburger, 141 Idaho at 420, 111 P.3d at 105 (quoting W.R. Grace & Co. v. Mouyal, 262 Ga. 464, 422 S.E.2d 529, 531 (1992)). This rule recognizes the general point of non-compete provisions in the first place: to protect employers from the detrimental impact of competition by employees who, but for their employment, would not have had the ability to gain a special influence over clients or customers. Id. So, these asserted interests are protectable.