Amazon accused of violating WA’s ban on noncompete agreements

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon/amazon-accused-of-violating-washingtons-ban-on-noncompete-agreements/

3 Comments

  1. ArmsForPeace84 on

    >In a statement this week, the company disputed the allegations in the case and denied that its policies broke Washington law….

    Disputed? Denied? They’ve been caught red-handed, and are still bullshitting in their on-the-record statements.

    Unfortunately, Amazon can afford to continue breaking the law because monetary damages are difficult to prove in these cases and the statutory damages in RCW 49.62.080 are absolutely toothless for an employer their size:

    >(3) If a court or arbitrator reforms, rewrites, modifies, or only partially enforces any noncompetition covenant, the party seeking enforcement must pay the aggrieved person the greater of his or her actual damages or a statutory penalty of five thousand dollars, plus reasonable attorneys’ fees, expenses, and costs incurred in the proceeding.

    Another example of why all damages assessed against corporations and individuals who break the law should be means-tested. Limited only by how much and how badly the penalty needs to *hurt* to not only bring them into line, but to deter breaking the law in the first place where it concerns employees or members of the public.