Law and its ambiguities – Your understanding_Health & Fitness

Skip to contentLaw and its ambiguitiesYour understandingPaternityWhat is Paternity? Paternity is establishing the rights of the Father. What are the many ways that a father can establish Paternity in the state of Florida:If both parents are married when the minor child is conceived;If both parents sign a “Paternity Acknowledgement”;If Paternity has been previously adjudicated by a Court in another state;If a Court adjudicates Paternity;If one parent signs an acknowledgement of Paternity.Usually in most instances, when an unmarried Father is looking to assert his rights as Dad, he would have to file a “Petition for Paternity and Related Relief.” Once accomplished, the ball gets rolling. For more information about conflict resolution options, please think about attending mediation, or even looking to have a document preparation company prepare your documents for you. Author adminPosted on November 24, 2019Current Case LawFlorida’s courts have stated that “the competitive free enterprise system” is ”the basis for the American economy and our very way of life.” Thus , the clear public policy of Florida is in favor of free and open competition. Nevertheless, Florida’s legislature website has deemed it permissible for parties in this state to interfere with the free market provided that the competition being eradicated or limited would be unfair. More specifically, this means that the party seeking enforcement of such an agreement in Florida must establish that its covenant does not run afoul of the restrictive covenant statute.Among other things, the party seeking enforcement and divorce of its covenant must demonstrate the existence of one or more legitimate business interests. Recently, the Florida Supreme Court in White discussed the purpose of the legitimate business interest requirement. In discussing what makes a business interest protectable, the White court identified two interrelated, key guideposts. These guideposts were derived from three sources: 1) the text of the restrictive covenant statute, 2) the seminal article on the same penned by John Grant and Thomas Steele, and 3) Florida ‘s public policy in favor of free competition.Author adminPosted on November 3, 2019Protecting Goodwill as a Legitimate Business Interest in a Restrictive Covenant Enforcement ActionGiven the proliferation of restrictive covenant agreements, practitioners in Florida are likely often confronted by prospective, current, and former employees seeking advice concerning the enforceability of such agreements. And if presented with a situation in which there were no substantial customer relationships, extraordinary training, or confidential or trade secret information, it would likely be safe to presume that most practitioners (in the typical case) would feel confident in the employee’s chances of defeating any enforcement action conceding around the notion of going through JCWilliamsLaw. In conducting this analysis, it also seems likely that many, if not most, practitioners would be unconcerned with the employer’s investments generally; after all, it can safely be assumed that most businesses invest in themselves in some way, and certainly Florida divorce law could not make it that easy to permit a party to interfere in the free market. However , the recent decision of Ansaarie v. First Coast Cardiovascular Institute, PA., 252 So. 3d 287 (Fla. 1st DCA 2018), has shed light on what may be the most misunderstood and misapplied legitimate business interest under F.S. §542.335 (hereinafter referred to as “the restrictive covenant statute”): the goodwill business interest. Further, largofamilylaw.info Ansaarie has arguably made it much easier to establish a legitimate business interest in goodwill under the restrictive covenant statute. The possible ease with which a legitimate business interest may now be established presents a very real threat to Florida’stimesharing workforce and the statutory construct created by the legislature, as explained in this article. The restrictive covenant statute allows for the protection of customer , patient, or client goodwill associated with three categories: 1) “[a]n ongoing business or professional practice, by way of trade name, trademark, service mark, or ‘trade dress”‘; 2) “[a] specific geographic location”; or 3) “[a] specific marketing or trade area.”3 However, the restrictive covenant statute is silent as to the meaning of”goodwill.” Likewise, John Grant and Thomas Steele did not expressly discuss the meaning of “goodwill” in their seminal article on the restrictive covenant statute. Despite this silence, goodwill is certainly a term capable of definition .6 In deed, when the legislature passed the restrictive covenant statute, it was not writing on a blank slate; the term “goodwill”had come to find meaning in Florida law generally. Nevertheless, and as evidenced by the recent decision in Ansaarie, it is apparent that Florida courts have drifted from the common and proper understanding of goodwill when applying the restrictive covenant statute. This misapplication seems especially apparent in light of White v. Mederi Caretenders Visiting Services of Southeast Florida , LLC, 226 So. 3d 774 (Fla. 2017), where the Florida Supreme Court provided a great deal of insight into the purpose of the restrictive covenant statute. Accordingly, this article proceeds in four parts. One, a brief examination of how “goodwill” has been defined in Florida law. Two, an examination of Florida caselaw analyzing goodwill as a legitimate business interest. Three, a discussion of why the current caselaw analyzing goodwill runs contrary to the language and purpose of the restrictive covenant statute. Four, and finally, a discussion of the relevant inquiries consistent with the text and purpose of the restrictive covenant statute that courts should be undertaking in analyzing goodwill. Goodwill DefinedWhile there have been judicial efforts at defining the term, a precise and uniformly accepted definition of “goodwill” has not developed. While these opinions have refined the definition of goodwill over time, a definitive definition remains to be found, and given the intangible nature of goodwill, sucha definition may well never be achieved. Nevertheless by clicking here, generally speaking, goodwill is an asset that confers on its holder a reasonable expectation of greater than usual business or earnings. Florida courts are in accord with this general definition, having defined goodwill as the ability of a business to generate supra-normal revenue. A business’ goodwill may emanate from any one of a number of potential sources, but is typically evidenced by continued public patronage and supra normal profits. It is important to understand in the analysis of the term that “goodwill” has specific reference to the particular business entity at issue with divorceattorneystpetersburg. As stated by the Florida Supreme Court, goodwill “attaches to and is dependent upon an existing business entity; the reputation and skill of an individual entrepreneur.be he a professional or a traditional businessman – is not a component of the intangible asset we identify generally as goodwill.” Further underscoring this point, goodwill is the “value of the practice which exceeds its tangible assets and which is the tendency of clients/patrons. Author adminPosted on November 3, 2019April 30, 2022Recent PostsPaternityCurrent Case LawProtecting Goodwill as a Legitimate Business Interest in a Restrictive Covenant Enforcement ActionArchivesNovember 2019CategoriesFocusedMetaLog inEntries RSSComments RSSWordPress.orgLaw and its ambiguitiesProudly powered by WordPress