Court construes one-year contract with automatic continuation provision

In VHC, P.C. v. Tarek Elshaarawy, M.D., the Court of Appeals concluded that a one-year contract with automatic continuation did not prevent the defendant employee doctor from practicing in violation of the "non-compete" terms.  The doctor left the employing  medical corporation 15 days after the parties failed to renew the expired contract.  The Court upheld the lower court's determination that no liquidated damages were payable and the non-compete provision did not apply because the contract simply expired and was no longer operative.