" the question is whether the management Knew better than getting into such an agreement."

For the most part their business is state to state, what would you like them to do?

I say they understood the state statutes....however, with regard to establishing where the performance would lean....no way could they have figured that out...or could they?...lol I couldn't...lol

Part of the judges detailing had to do with the soft laws of the other states involved in this mess regarding their non competition laws ....had they not been considered soft or slow and not ongoing, this issue would be totally different.

CA seems to extend to its citizens ongoing non lax considerations of creating competition.

doni