Bunker Hill International, Ltd. v. Nationsbuilder Insurance Services, Inc.
309 Ga. App. 503
| Ga. Ct. App. | 2011Background
- Cunningham签署两份雇佣协议，担任 NBIS Construction 与 Transport Services, Inc.的执行副总裁。
- 协议包含严格的竞业限制和不招揽/不竞争条款，以及两年期限内对 NBIS 客户和员工的限制。
- Cunningham辞职后加入乔治亚州公司 Bunker Hill International，引发本地诉讼寻求认定限制条款无效。
- 协议规定以伊利诺伊州法律管辖，并将争议提交伊利诺伊州法庭解决，且具有 forum-selection 条款。
- NBIS 以 forum-selection 和 choice-of-law 条款为由请求驳回，主张应在 Illinois 诉讼。
- Georgia 最高法院/上诉法院对 forum-selection 条款是否可强制执行及其是否违背 Georgia 公共政策进行裁决，裁定反对方可在 Georgia 法院主张公共政策并使条款无效，进而推翻初审驳回。
Issues
| Issue | Plaintiff's Argument | Defendant's Argument | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| 非 compete 与 non-solicit 条款在 Georgia 的可执行性 | Cunningham 诉称条款违反 Georgia 公共政策，应无效。 | NBIS 主张条款经自由谈判，应在 Illinois 有效执行。 | Georgia 条款无效； Illinois 可能执行，仍使 forum 条款无效。 |
| forum-selection 条款是否应被执行 | Cunningham 论证 forum 条款对 Georgia 公共政策造成冲突，应无效。 | NBIS 依然主张应遵循合同中的 Illinois 论坛与法律选择。 | 由于核心条款在 Georgia 被认定为无效，forum 选择条款亦应视为无效。 |
Key Cases Cited
- The Bremen v. Zapata Off-Shore Co., 407 U.S. 1 (1972) (forum-selection clauses are prima facie valid but may be invalidated by strong public policy)
- Iero v. Mohawk Finishing Products, 243 F. App’x 670 (Ga. App. 2000) (forum clauses upheld absent fraud/undue influence; public policy as limiter)
- Fuller v. Kolb, 238 Ga. 602 (1977) (restrictive covenants in employment must be time/territory limited to be enforceable)
- Eichmann v. Nat. Hosp., etc. Svcs., 308 Ill.App.3d 337 (1999) (Illinois voids overly broad noncompetes lacking geographic/customer scope)
- Steam Sales Corp. v. Summers, 405 Ill.App.3d 442 (2010) (Illinois upholds narrow noncompete to protect employer with special customer knowledge)
- CS-Lakeview at Gwinnett v. Simon Property Group, 283 Ga. 426 (2008) (public policy limits on choice-of-law provisions when contrary to state policy)
- Walker v. Amerireach.com, 306 Ga.App. 658 (2010) (public policy considerations in statutory context affecting forum clauses)
- Brinson v. Martin, 220 Ga.App. 638 (1996) (lex fori governs procedural questions; forum law applies)