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Can I be sued for starting my own business and stealing away contracts from my former empoyer?

I am in a specialized field of science and my employer is a government contractor. There is a renewal on a contract coming up and I want to start my own business and have that business bring in the contract. I never signed a non-compete and I am in Nevada. Can my employer win in a lawsuit to the effect that I used my position as an employee to steal away government contracts or what issues am I looking at and what precautions should I take? Thanks for any help.

Public Comments

1. Yes, if he can prove you stole them.
2. Yes you could be sued. Many are even if it sounds unfair. Get a lawyer who knows this kind of law to advise you on how to lawfully obtain those clients.
3. I am wondering how you could "steal" a contract? If a former customer of yours at the former job chooses to go with you, not much can be really be said. I am in the horse businessand owners do that all the time, the 2nd trainer goes on their own and they go with them.....Choice is a great thing!
4. Yes, your employer can sue you and will likely win. A noncompete contract isn't applicable in this situation in the first place, so it doesn't really matter that you didn't sign one. Unless they hired you to do something other than what you did for your former employer, you would have to allow them to win this contract before you can compete for the next as a non-employee.
5. In the absence of a no-compete clause you are on pretty sound ground as long as you only use your own memory. If you take copies of documents belonging to the employer and use them to start your own business, then that could lead to trouble. If you take only your own knowledge and use that to compete you are in a much better position.
6. I am in the same exact situation DO NOT sign the non compete if you do then you probably will agree to if you quit of are fired that you cannot compete in that feild for a certain amount of time usally 2 years and the usally put within a certain range like 100 air miles from your current business location .can they win yes and no but it will cost a ton of money on your end.Thay can not make you sign one but if you want to negotiate it some like severence pay .Ask to have a sverence pay clause in it for say 6months if it a 2 year non compete.Also once you sign it ,it last for the life of your employment there .when you sign a non compete they will also have you sign a contract about not revealing any busines info about the company and that you will not go after their customers Hope this helps
7. Yep ... Whether it is proved or not, you lose from the time, money and effort of just being dragged into court. Not to mention the potential harm to your name or reputation.
8. Yes. If you use your employer's "propriety information" about the contract and client to unfairly compete against your former company, you can be sued. See a business lawyer in NV to advise you regarding starting your own business without getting sued.