Case Citation
Legal Case Name

Data Management, Inc. v. Greene Case Brief

Alaska Supreme Court1988Docket #864090
757 P.2d 62 3 I.E.R. Cas. (BNA) 796 1988 Alas. LEXIS 111 1988 WL 69466 Contracts Employment Law

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Case Brief Summary & Legal Analysis

General Brief
4 min read

tl;dr: An employer sued to enforce an overly broad non-compete agreement. The court rejected the “all-or-nothing” and “blue pencil” rules, adopting a “rule of reasonableness” that allows courts to modify overbroad covenants if they were drafted in good faith.

Legal Significance: Establishes that courts may reform, rather than void, an overbroad covenant not to compete to make it reasonable, provided the covenant was not drafted in good faith. This approach favors enforcing the parties’ intent over strict invalidation or mechanical “blue-penciling.”

Data Management, Inc. v. Greene Law School Study Guide

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Case Facts & Court Holding

Key Facts & Case Background

Data Management, Inc. (Plaintiff) required two employees, James H. Greene and Richard Van Camp (Defendants), to sign employment contracts containing a covenant not to compete. The covenant stipulated that for five years following termination, the employees would not perform similar services for any person or firm within the state of Alaska, nor would they be connected with any competing business. After the employees’ termination, Data Management filed suit, alleging they had breached the covenant. The employer sought a preliminary injunction to prevent them from providing services to specific former clients. The trial court initially granted the injunction but later granted summary judgment for the employees. It concluded that the covenant’s five-year duration and statewide geographic scope were overly broad and unreasonable. Finding the covenant was not severable, the trial court held it was entirely unenforceable. Data Management appealed the summary judgment, arguing the court should have modified the covenant to make it reasonable rather than voiding it completely.

Court Holding & Legal Precedent

Issue: When a covenant not to compete in an employment contract is found to be unreasonably overbroad, may a court modify the terms to make it enforceable, or must the entire covenant be declared void?

Yes, a court may modify an overbroad covenant not to compete to Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit an

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IRAC Legal Analysis

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Legal Issue

When a covenant not to compete in an employment contract is found to be unreasonably overbroad, may a court modify the terms to make it enforceable, or must the entire covenant be declared void?

Conclusion

This case establishes the "rule of reasonableness" in Alaska for modifying overbroad Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute iru

Legal Rule

A court may enforce an overly broad covenant not to compete by Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor i

Legal Analysis

The Alaska Supreme Court adopted the modern majority approach for handling overbroad Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irur

Flash-to-Full Case Opinions

Flash Summary

  • Alaska rejects the “all-or-nothing” and “blue pencil” rules for overbroad non-compete
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderi

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