11th Cir. Applies Georgia Law to Non-Compete

Stepping gingerly into the world of conflicts of law as applied to covenants not to compete, the 11th Circuit wisely asked the Supreme Court of Georgia for clarification. Having received it, the Court had no problem finding that Georgia would apply its own law to a former employee's non-competition agreement, and find it unenforceable. The employee's victory was not unmitigated however, as the Court struck down the lower court's permanent injunction against enforcing the covenant not to compete in any other jurisdiction. The reach of Georgia's power to enforce its view of whether the non-compete was enforcible extended only to its boundries and the injunction needed to be revised accordingly. Keener v. Convergys, Inc., No. 02-11324 (11th Cir. 8/21/03).