Iowa - Non compete agreement I forgot I signed…for 3 years and a “worldwide” location scope
Location: Iowa, USA
Hi all,
Just wanted to gauge your opinion on this issue. I tried contacting some law firms locally to me who handle employment law, but none have gotten back to me regarding this case.
I recently received a job offer for a company in the agricultural equipment sector. When I first moved to Iowa in 2022 I was fresh out of college and was just starting my professional career. This first company for whom I signed the non-compete for is a contractor for another large ag equipment company that is in competition with the one I have the job offer from. When I first started, I had signed the paperwork including a non-compete agreement in duration of 3 YEARS and a location of “WORLDWIDE”. I had since resigned that company in August of 2024, it’s been about a year and a half since the end of my employment with that contractor and I have worked in a few other jobs, unrelated to the ag equipment sector whatsoever.
However, in my recent job search, I was successful in getting an offer for a new job with a different agricultural equipment company, and I would be working in Iowa still. This company is a competitor to my old one, however my work would, as far as I know, be in a completely different part of the business and with a different category of vehicle this company sells. I had completely forgotten I had signed the non-compete, I was 23 and should’ve reviewed it with a lawyer before I signed it…but alas. I know I was stupid. But my work was for a very low level position at the time, and it sounds like someone at this new company worked for my old one as well.
In my research regarding non-competes, it seems that this duration and location scope for “3 years” and “worldwide” is unreasonable and is unenforceable. Am I correct with this understanding here in Iowa? I have been struggling to find work in other unrelated industries, and this opportunity would be the best one I’ve ever had. And I really don’t want to mess this up. I was never at the executive level, I’ve never had any management position.
TL;DR: forgot I signed a non-compete with a 3 year duration and a “worldwide” location scope for my old company. New company has offered me a job but it is in competition with this old one. It has been a year and a half since leaving that old company. Would this be enforceable within the state of Iowa?