Author Archives: Joe Ahmad

Backlash Builds for Noncompetes

For a generation of workers, noncompete agreements have steadily crept into more and more facets of the working world to the point that even low- and middle-wage earners are increasingly being asked to sign the agreements as a condition of … Continue reading

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For Execs Confronting Extortion Shakedowns, Few Reasons to Participate

A juicy corporate scandal has a unique ability to wipe away billions from a corporation’s market cap with frightening speed, so it’s no wonder that executives are prone to quake when faced with the prospect of responding to the threat … Continue reading

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NFL’s Goodell Faces Leadership Challenge in Latest Patriots Discipline Probe

The sports metaphors are overflowing when it comes to the challenge that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell faces with the prospect of investigating and meting out appropriate punishment for New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Let’s just say this: Welcome to … Continue reading

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For Politicians and Business Leaders, Dusty Yearbooks Hide Ticking Time Bomb

A cascade of yearbook scandals and confessions of disreputable behavior is sending quakes through Virginia political circles and beyond after decades-old yearbooks surfaced with references to racial slurs, images of students in blackface and other behavior unbecoming of those in … Continue reading

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C-Suite Lessons from Ghosn’s Nissan Ouster

For Carlos Ghosn – one of the highest-flying chief executives in the world (literally) – home has been a 50-square-foot cell since Japanese authorities announced a series of vague allegations against him for underreporting his compensation and misusing company property. … Continue reading

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Dallas Morning News Interviews Joe Ahmad About Clash of the Dating App Start-Ups

The Dallas Morning News took a close look at a raft of lawsuits facing Dallas-based online dating company Match.com, including a series of bitter lawsuits with rival startup Bumble, which I’ve written about previously on this blog. DMN Reporter Danielle Abril … Continue reading

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Whistleblowers Receive Whopper Payouts as SEC Proposes New Rules to Limit Future Awards

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced two large whistleblower payouts last week, bringing the total paid-out bounty for the program to more than $320 million since it was created as part of the 2011 Dodd-Frank Act. The $39 million … Continue reading

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#MeToo Zeitgeist Sends Quakes Through C-Suites

CEOs from three big U.S. chipmakers made unexpected career exits for improper behavior in the last two months alone, some on the job barely long enough to get their new business cards. Most recently and perhaps most surprising, Texas Instruments’ … Continue reading

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Fifth Circuit Reminder: Words Matter in Employment Contacts, Restrictive Covenants

Sometimes the most fundamental legal concepts are so basic and intuitive that they tend to fall by the wayside in practice. Case in point is a recent Fifth Circuit opinion throwing out an arbitration agreement because the employer didn’t follow … Continue reading

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Dating App Execs Make Failed Tinder-Bumble Merger Personal

A nasty court fight unfolding between Texas-based dating apps Tinder and Bumble has all of the elements of a soap opera drama – romance, unfaithfulness, intrigue and, of course, revenge. The mess began just four years ago with a bitter … Continue reading

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