When South Florida English literature teacher Nicholas James was offered a job at a new school, he didn't expect to lose the opportunity because lawyers threatened litigation over alleged trade secret issues.

But that's what happened, according to a Broward Circuit lawsuit that accuses the parent company of Plantation-based private school American Heritage School of tortious interference.

It's an antitrust lawsuit that shows Florida has a problem with abusive noncompete agreements, according to plaintiffs attorney Jonathan Pollard of Pollard PLLC in Fort Lauderdale, who focuses on unfair competition disputes.