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OpenAgreements Employee Restrictive Covenant (Wyoming)

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Cover Terms

The terms below are incorporated into and form part of this agreement.

Term Value
Employer [Employer Name]
Employee [Employee Name]
Employee Title / Position [Employee Title]
Effective Date [Effective Date]
Governing Law [Governing Law]
Confidentiality
Confidentiality — Trade Secrets Duration [Confidentiality Trade Secret Duration]
Confidentiality — Other Confidential Information Duration [Confidentiality Other Duration]
Employee Non-Solicitation
Employee Non-Solicitation — Duration [Employee Nonsolicit Duration]
Customer Non-Solicitation
Customer Non-Solicitation — Duration [Customer Nonsolicit Duration]
Non-Competition
Non-Competition — Duration [Noncompete Duration]
Non-Competition — Restricted Territory [Territory]
Non-Competition — Competitive Business [Competitive Business Definition]
Non-Competition — Specified Competitors [Specified Competitors]
No Business with Covered Customers
No Business with Covered Customers — Duration [Nondealing Duration]
Non-Investment
Non-Investment — Duration [Noninvestment Duration]
Non-Disparagement
Non-Disparagement — Duration [Nondisparagement Duration]

1. Defined Terms

1.1 “Competitive Business” means the business activities described in Cover Terms under Competitive Business.

1.2 “Confidential Information” means non-public information relating to Employer’s business, including trade secrets, customer lists, pricing, business processes, technical data, and strategic plans, but excluding information that becomes public through no fault of Employee.

1.3 “Covered Customers” means customers, vendors, referral sources, and business partners with whom Employee had material contact or for whom Employee had responsibility during the [Covered Customer Period] before termination of employment.

1.4 “Covered Employees” means employees with whom Employee worked or whom Employee managed during the [Covered Employee Period] before termination of employment.

1.5 “Passive Public Holdings” means ownership of securities of a publicly traded company representing less than [Passive Public Holdings Threshold] of any class of such company’s securities, and interests in diversified mutual funds, index funds, and exchange-traded funds that may hold securities of a Competitive Business.

1.6 “Protected Interests” means Employer’s legitimate business interests in its Confidential Information, customer and business-partner relationships, workforce stability, and goodwill.

1.7 “Restricted Period” means the duration specified in Cover Terms for each covenant, beginning on the date Employee’s employment with Employer ends for any reason.

1.8 “Restricted Territory” means the geographic area described in Cover Terms under Restricted Territory.

1.9 “Solicit” means to directly or indirectly contact, approach, induce, encourage, or provide Confidential Information to any person or entity for the purpose of diverting business away from Employer, but does not include responding to general advertisements or unsolicited inquiries not initiated by Employee.

1.10 “Trade Secrets” has the meaning given in Wyo. Stat. § 6-3-501(a)(xi).

2. Timing and Employee Acknowledgements

Employee acknowledges that the restrictions in this agreement are reasonable and necessary to protect Employer’s Protected Interests. Employee acknowledges having had the opportunity to consult with independent legal counsel before signing this agreement. This agreement is effective as of the Effective Date listed in Cover Terms.

Drafting Note · Wyoming statutory notice requirements for restrictive covenants and employee acknowledgment timing · 3 firms

Wyoming law requires careful attention to the timing of restrictive covenant agreements to ensure compliance with prospective statutory notice and enforceability standards. Employers must ensure that acknowledgments regarding legal counsel and reasonableness are documented contemporaneously with the agreement's effective date to mitigate risks of invalidation (Ogletree Deakins, Littler Mendelson). These procedural safeguards are essential given the state's evolving legislative landscape and the potential for courts to void noncompliant agreements in their entirety (Fisher Phillips).

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3. Confidential Information and Trade Secret Protection

Employee must treat all Confidential Information as strictly confidential. Employee must not use or disclose Confidential Information except as required to perform authorized job duties or with Employer’s prior written consent. Employee’s obligations regarding trade secrets continue in perpetuity. Employee’s obligations regarding other Confidential Information continue for the period specified in Cover Terms. Trade secrets are protected under Wyoming law, including Wyo. Stat. § 6-3-501(a)(xi).

Drafting Note · Wyoming Statutory Trade Secret Definitions and Confidentiality Scope for Restrictive Covenants · 2 firms

Wyoming law provides a broad definition of trade secrets under Wyo. Stat. § 6-3-501(a)(xi), which serves as the foundation for protecting proprietary business information in employment agreements (Littler Mendelson). Employers must ensure that confidentiality provisions are narrowly tailored to align with these statutory protections to avoid potential enforceability risks in the current legislative landscape (Fisher Phillips).

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4. Permitted Disclosures and Protected Conduct

Nothing in this agreement prohibits Employee from: (a) reporting possible violations of law to any government agency, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or any other federal, state, or local agency; (b) making disclosures protected under whistleblower provisions of any law; (c) discussing wages, hours, or other terms and conditions of employment as protected by applicable law; (d) testifying truthfully in legal proceedings; or (e) filing a sealed complaint in court using Confidential Information without liability. Pursuant to the Defend Trade Secrets Act (18 U.S.C. § 1833(b)), Employee may not be held criminally or civilly liable for disclosing a trade secret in confidence to a government official or attorney solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law, or in a sealed court filing.

Drafting Note · Federal whistleblower protections and regulatory compliance mandates for Wyoming employment agreements · 2 firms

Federal law, including the Defend Trade Secrets Act, mandates that employees retain the right to report potential violations to government agencies without fear of civil or criminal liability. This clause ensures compliance with these protections, mitigating risks associated with overly broad restrictive covenants that might otherwise chill protected conduct (Littler Mendelson). Integrating these safeguards is essential for maintaining the enforceability of restrictive covenants under evolving state and federal standards (Foley & Lardner).

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5. Return, Deletion, and Certification of Company Property

Upon termination of employment, Employee must promptly return to Employer all documents, devices, files, credentials, and other materials containing or relating to Confidential Information. Where permitted, Employee must permanently delete electronic copies of Confidential Information from personal devices and accounts. Employee must certify compliance with this section in writing upon Employer’s request.

6. Non-Solicitation of Employees

During the Restricted Period, Employee must not Solicit, recruit, hire, or attempt to hire any Covered Employee. This restriction does not prohibit Employee from providing a professional reference upon request or from hiring a person who responds to a general advertisement not directed specifically at Employer’s employees.

7. Non-Solicitation of Customers, Vendors, Referral Sources, and Business Partners

During the Restricted Period, Employee must not Solicit the business of any Covered Customer. Practitioner sources flag uncertainty about whether Wyo. Stat. § 1-23-108 could reach certain non-solicitation provisions depending on how they function.

Drafting Note · Tailoring Non-Solicitation Provisions to Align With Wyoming's Legitimate Business Interest Requirements · 2 firms

Wyoming law requires restrictive covenants to be narrowly tailored to protect specific legitimate business interests, such as trade secrets and goodwill. Ambiguities in recent state legislation regarding the scope of non-solicitation provisions necessitate careful drafting to avoid potential invalidation by courts (Littler Mendelson). Employers should ensure these restrictions are limited to customers with whom the employee had material contact to satisfy evolving statutory standards (Fisher Phillips).

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8. No Business with Covered Customers

During the Restricted Period, Employee must not accept, service, or do business with any Covered Customer, regardless of whether Employee or the Covered Customer first initiated contact. This restriction is broader than non-solicitation because it applies even if the Covered Customer approaches Employee. If the Cover Terms indicate that this restriction applies, it requires a lawful restriction pathway under Wyo. Stat. § 1-23-108.

9. Non-Competition

During the Restricted Period, Employee must not engage in, be employed by, consult for, or have an active ownership interest in any Competitive Business within the Restricted Territory. This covenant is included only because the restriction pathway specified by Employer supports its enforceability under Wyo. Stat. § 1-23-108. Passive Public Holdings are permitted.

Drafting Note · Wyoming Statutory Framework Requires Narrowly Tailored Restrictions for Enforceable Non-Competition Covenants · 3 firms

Wyo. Stat. § 1-23-108 necessitates that non-competition agreements be narrowly tailored to protect legitimate business interests, as Wyoming courts may void noncompliant agreements in their entirety rather than modifying them (Ogletree Deakins). Employers must navigate ambiguities regarding the scope of protected interests and personnel classifications to ensure enforceability under this new legislative landscape (Fisher Phillips; Littler Mendelson).

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10. Non-Investment

During the Restricted Period, Employee must not acquire or hold any active ownership interest in, serve as a director, officer, manager, or advisor to, or have material economic participation in any Competitive Business. This restriction primarily targets active or material ownership in private competitors. Passive Public Holdings are permitted. This covenant requires a lawful restriction pathway under Wyo. Stat. § 1-23-108.

11. Non-Disparagement

During the Restricted Period specified in Cover Terms for Non-Disparagement, Employee must not make statements that are intended to or reasonably likely to disparage Employer, its officers, directors, employees, products, or services. This section does not restrict Employee from making truthful statements in legal proceedings, providing truthful testimony, making disclosures to government agencies, or exercising rights protected by law.

12. Physician-Specific Rights and Notices

If Employee is a physician, then notwithstanding any other provision of this agreement, Wyo. Stat. § 1-23-108(b) preserves other enforceable provisions of this agreement even if a non-compete provision is void. A physician Employee with patients diagnosed with rare disorders (as defined by the National Organization for Rare Disorders) may notify those patients of their new practice location without liability under this agreement.

Drafting Note · Wyoming Statutory Carve-outs for Physician Non-compete and Patient Notice Rights · 2 firms

Wyo. Stat. § 1-23-108(b) establishes specific protections for physicians, ensuring that the invalidation of a non-compete provision does not automatically void other enforceable restrictive covenants within an agreement. This statutory framework balances employer interests with patient continuity of care, specifically permitting physicians to notify patients with rare disorders of a change in practice location (Littler Mendelson; Fisher Phillips). These provisions reflect the state's legislative effort to navigate the intersection of restrictive covenants and professional medical obligations.

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13. No Conflicting Obligations

Employee represents that performing duties for Employer and complying with this agreement does not conflict with any prior agreement, court order, or legal obligation binding on Employee. Employee must promptly disclose to Employer any potential conflict that arises during employment.

14. Notice to Future Employers and Other Third Parties

Employer may disclose the existence and terms of this agreement to any prospective employer or business associate of Employee if Employer has a reasonable belief that Employee may breach this agreement. Employee consents to this disclosure.

15. Tolling During Breach

If Employee breaches any restrictive covenant in this agreement, the Restricted Period for that covenant is extended by one day for each day of the breach, so that the full duration of the restriction runs from the date the breach ends.

Drafting Note · Enforceability of Tolling Provisions Under Evolving Wyoming Restrictive Covenant Law · 2 firms

Wyoming courts have not yet definitively ruled on the enforceability of tolling provisions following the enactment of recent restrictive covenant legislation. Employers should exercise caution, as the new statutory framework emphasizes narrow tailoring and may view automatic extensions as overly broad or inconsistent with the legislative intent to limit post-employment restrictions (Fisher Phillips; Littler Mendelson). Counsel should monitor whether such provisions are treated as reasonable protections of legitimate business interests or as impermissible extensions of the restricted period.

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16. Remedies

Employee acknowledges that a breach of this agreement may cause Employer irreparable harm for which money damages would be inadequate. Employer may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in addition to any other remedies available at law. If Employer prevails in any action to enforce this agreement, Employee must reimburse Employer’s reasonable attorney’s fees and costs. Employer does not ask any court to modify, reform, or rewrite any provision of this agreement.

Drafting Note · Wyoming judicial enforcement trends regarding injunctive relief and restrictive covenant modification · 5 firms

Wyoming courts increasingly scrutinize restrictive covenants for overbreadth, with a growing trend toward invalidating noncompliant agreements in their entirety rather than reforming them (Ogletree Deakins, Littler Mendelson). Employers must ensure that requests for injunctive relief are narrowly tailored to protect legitimate business interests, as courts are wary of broad enforcement in the current regulatory climate (Foley & Lardner, Vinson & Elkins). This clause balances the necessity of equitable remedies with the risk that overly aggressive enforcement strategies may trigger judicial invalidation under evolving state standards (Fisher Phillips).

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17. Enforceability, Severability, and No Reformation Request

If any provision of this agreement is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force and effect. Consistent with Hassler v. Circle C Resources, 2022 WY 28, Employer acknowledges that Wyoming courts may decline to reform overbroad restrictive covenants and may instead void them entirely. Accordingly, this agreement does not include a reformation clause and does not request that any court rewrite its terms. Each restrictive covenant in this agreement is intended to be independently enforceable.

Drafting Note · Wyoming judicial standards regarding restrictive covenant enforceability and reformation limitations · 3 firms

Wyoming courts have demonstrated a propensity to void overbroad restrictive covenants in their entirety rather than exercising blue-pencil authority to reform them (Ogletree Deakins). Consequently, this agreement intentionally omits a reformation clause to mitigate the risk of judicial invalidation and to ensure each covenant remains independently enforceable under state law (Littler Mendelson). This approach aligns with the state's evolving legislative landscape, which emphasizes strict compliance over judicial intervention (Fisher Phillips).

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18. Survival and Expiration of Each Covenant

Each restrictive covenant in this agreement survives the termination of Employee’s employment for the Restricted Period specified in Cover Terms. Obligations under the Confidential Information and Trade Secret Protection section survive indefinitely to the extent they relate to trade secrets. All other provisions survive to the extent necessary to enforce rights that arose during employment.

19. Assignment and Successors

Employee may not assign this agreement or any rights or obligations under it. Employer may assign this agreement to any affiliate, successor, or acquirer of all or substantially all of Employer’s business or assets. This agreement is binding on and inures to the benefit of the parties and their respective heirs, successors, and permitted assigns.

20. Governing Law, Venue, and Dispute Process

This agreement is governed by the law listed in Cover Terms, including Wyo. Stat. § 1-23-108 for contracts entered into on or after July 1, 2025. Disputes will be resolved in the courts of the Governing Law state, subject to non-waivable rights under applicable law.

Drafting Note · Wyoming Governing Law and Venue Selection for Enforceable Restrictive Covenants · 3 firms

Wyoming law provides a specific statutory framework under Wyo. Stat. § 1-23-108 that governs the enforceability of restrictive covenants, necessitating precise venue selection to ensure judicial interpretation aligns with state-specific legislative intent (Fisher Phillips, Littler Mendelson). Courts in Wyoming are not bound by external precedents, making the selection of local venue critical for navigating ambiguities regarding executive personnel and the scope of non-solicitation provisions (Fisher Phillips). This clause leverages local jurisdiction to mitigate the risk of broad invalidation by ensuring disputes are resolved within the state's evolving legal landscape (Ogletree Deakins).

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21. Entire Agreement, Amendment, Waiver, and Electronic Signatures

This agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties regarding its subject matter and supersedes all prior agreements, understandings, and negotiations on this subject. This agreement may be amended only in writing signed by both parties. A party’s failure to enforce any provision does not waive that party’s right to enforce it later. This agreement may be executed in counterparts, including by electronic signature, each of which is an original.

Signatures

By signing this agreement, each party acknowledges and agrees to the restrictive covenant obligations above. Employee confirms having read and understood each provision, including the Cover Terms.

Employer

Signature: Print Name: [Employer Name] Title: Date:

Employee

Signature: Print Name: [Employee Name] Date:

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