Biosense Webster, Inc. v. Superior Court

In these original proceedings, petitioner Biosense Webster, Inc. (Biosense) challenges a temporary restraining order (TRO) prohibiting it from commencing or taking any action to enforce any noncom-petition agreement or restrictive covenant against three of its former employees in any court other than the Los Angeles County Superior Court or federal court in the State of California. We conclude that the TRO was improperly granted under both Advanced Bionics Corp. v. Medtronic, Inc. (2002) 29 Cal.4th 697 [ 128 Cal.Rptr.2d 172 , 59 P.3d 231 ] (Advanced Bionics) to the extent it enjoined sister-state actions, and United States Supreme Court precedent to the extent it enjoined federal actions outside California. We therefore grant the petition.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Biosense, a California corporation with its principal place of business in California, manufactures and sells electrophysiology (EP) catheters and anatomical mapping devices. In 1999, Claudio Plaza was hired by Biosense and was eventually promoted to senior engineer developing EP catheters. In 2003 and 2004, Deana Dowell and Steven Chapman, respectively, were hired by Biosense as professional…