Mel Has a Neighborhood Grocery Store That He Would Like

Essay

Mel has a neighborhood grocery store that he would like to sell. Casey is interested in purchasing the business, but he is concerned because he knows that Mel has built up a lot of goodwill over the years, and he wonders whether Mel might not just open another store down the block and take all of the business from the old store with him. Casey asks for and receives from Mel a clause in the sale agreement that Mel will not open another grocery store within a 150-mile radius of the old store for a period of at least ten years.
a. What is this agreement called?
b. Is the negotiated clause a valid one? Explain why or why not.
c. What guidelines would a court ordinarily use in determining whether to enforce such a clause?