Accellix, Inc. v. Aguilera-Sandoval, 8:25-cv-00440

Accellix, Inc. is a medical equipment manufacturer specializing in automated cell phenotyping, marketing its products internationally.
Defendant, Christian Aguilera-Sandoval, was employed as Associate Director of Scientific Affairs and had access to Accellix’s confidential business information and trade secrets.
Defendant signed a Proprietary Information and Invention Assignment Agreement restricting competition in similar business areas during employment and for 12 months after termination.
After resigning, Defendant made LinkedIn posts offering competing consulting services and products, and operated a similar consulting company (CRBECH Investments, Inc.), allegedly in breach of the non-compete agreement.
Accellix sought a preliminary injunction to enforce the agreement, claiming breach of contract and breach of duty of loyalty.
The court granted a preliminary injunction, prohibiting Aguilera-Sandoval from competing in specified ways for one year, contingent on a $500,000 bond posted by Accellix.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Breach of Non-Compete Agreement	Defendant directly competed by offering similar products/services post-employment	His activities did not directly compete; posts weren't covered by agreement	Likely breach; Plaintiff showed likelihood of success
Validity/Enforceability of Restrictive Covenant	Agreement protects legitimate business interests; restrictions reasonable	Geographic and product restrictions overbroad; not reasonably necessary	Covenant is reasonable, justified, and enforceable
Irreparable Injury	Loss of goodwill and customer relationships is irreparable harm	No actual customer loss established; no irreparable harm shown	Threat of loss sufficient for irreparable harm
Balance of Harms/Public Interest	Injunction necessary to protect confidential info and enforce contracts	Injunction unduly burdens Defendant's ability to work	Balance favors Plaintiff; public interest in contract enforcement

Schiavo ex rel. Schindler v. Schiavo, 403 F.3d 1223 (11th Cir. 2005) (sets standard for preliminary injunctions in the Eleventh Circuit)
Wreal, LLC v. Amazon.com, Inc., 840 F.3d 1244 (11th Cir. 2016) (movant must clearly establish all elements for injunctive relief)
Ferrero v. Assoc. Materials, Inc., 923 F.2d 1441 (11th Cir. 1991) (loss of goodwill and customers may constitute irreparable harm)
Proudfoot Consulting Co. v. Gordon, 576 F.3d 1223 (11th Cir. 2009) (upholds nationwide non-compete restrictions as reasonable when business is national or international)
AutoNation, Inc. v. O'Brien, 347 F. Supp. 2d 1299 (S.D. Fla. 2004) (enforces non-compete covering all areas where employer operates)