Record No: 121989
(As published by the Virginia Supreme Court)
In an employer’s action to enforce certain provisions of an employment agreement restraining competition by a former employee, in sustaining a demurrer the circuit court improperly resolved the employee’s challenge to the enforceability of the restraints on competition, short-circuiting the litigation. Because a demurrer cannot be used to decide the merits of a claim, the circuit court’s judgment is reversed and the case is remanded for further proceedings.