Stryker Beats Proposed Class Action Over Non-Compete Clause

Medical device maker Stryker Corp. won’t have to defend a proposed class action alleging its employee non-compete agreements violate Washington state law, a federal court said.

The Washington Noncompetition Covenant Act doesn’t prohibit the conduct the named plaintiff said was unlawful, including requiring a new employee to sign an agreement that they won’t leave to work for a competitor, the US District Court for the Western District of Washington said Thursday. The statute says only that non-compete agreements are void and unenforceable unless and until disclosed and the employee earns more than the statutory minimum salary, Senior Judge Benjamin H. ...