DESLANDES v. McDONALD'S USA, LLC

Nos. 22-2333 & 22-2334.

81 F.4th 699 (2023)

Leinani DESLANDES and Stephanie Turner, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. MCDONALD'S USA, LLC, and McDonald's Corporation, Defendants-Appellees.

United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit.

Decided August 25, 2023.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Derek Yeats Brandt , Connor P. Lemire , Leigh M. Perica , Attorneys, McCune Wright Arevalo Vercoski Kusel Week, Brandt, APC, Edwardsville, IL, Lin Y. Chan , Dean M. Harvey , Anne B. Shaver , Attorneys, Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, San Francisco, CA, Richard D. McCune , Michele Vercoski , Attorneys, McCune Wright Arevalo, LLP, Ontario, CA, Jessica A. Moldovan , Attorney, Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, New York, NY, Dana Vogel , Attorney, McCune Wright Arevalo, LLP, Phoenix, AZ, for Plaintiff-Appellant Leinani Deslandes.

Derek Yeats Brandt , Connor P. Lemire , Leigh M. Perica , Attorneys, McCune Wright Arevalo Vercoski Kusel Week, Brandt, APC, Edwardsville, IL, Lin Y. Chan , Dean M. Harvey , Anne B. Shaver , Attorneys, Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, San Francisco, CA, Jessica A. Moldovan , Attorney, Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, New York, NY, Dana Vogel , Attorney, McCune Wright Arevalo, LLP, Phoenix, AZ, for Plaintiff-Appellant Stephanie Turner.

Rachel S. Brass , Caeli Higney , Julian Kleinbrodt , Attorneys, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, San Francisco, CA, Amir C. Tayrani , Attorney, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Washington, DC, for Defendants-Appellees.

Alex Hemmer , Attorney, Office of the Attorney General, Chicago, IL, for Amici Curiae State of Illinois, State of California, State of Colorado, State of Connecticut, State of Delaware.

Jamie Crooks , Attorney, Fairmark Partners, LLP, Washington, DC, for Amicus Curiae Labor Economists.

Peter M. Bozzo , Attorney, Department of Justice, Antitrust Division, Appellate Section, Washington, DC, Stratton Christopher Strand , Attorney, Department of Justice, Civil Division, Immigration Litigation, Washington, DC, for Amicus Curiae United States of America.

Peter M. Bozzo , Attorney, Department of Justice, Antitrust Division, Appellate Section, Washington, DC, for Amicus Curiae Federal Trade Commission.

Heidi M. Silton , Attorney, Lockridge Grindal Nauen P.L.L.P., Minneapolis, MN, for Amicus Curiae Committee to Support the Antitrust Laws.

Christopher J. Williams , Attorney, National Legal Advocacy Network, Chicago, IL, for Amici Curiae Open Markets Institute, National Legal Advocacy Network, Towards Justice.

Mark A. Perry , Attorney, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, Washington, DC, for Amici Curiae International Center for Law & Economics, Scholars of Law and Economics.

Randy Stutz , Attorney, Kensington, MD, for Amicus Curiae American Antitrust Institute.

Gabriel Gillett , Attorney, Jenner & Block LLP, Chicago, IL, for Amici Curiae Restaurant Law Center, International Franchise Association.

Lauren Suzanne Willard , Attorney, Covington & Burling LLP, Washington, DC, for Amicus Curiae Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America.

Before Easterbrook, Ripple, and Wood, Circuit Judges.


Until recently, every McDonald's franchise agreement contained an anti-poach clause. Each franchise operator promised not to hire any person employed by a different franchise, or by McDonald's itself, until six months after the last date that person had worked for McDonald's or another franchise. A related clause barred...

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