Hayley Paige Testifies at Congress After Legal Battle Over Noncompete Clause

After rising to prominence for her gorgeous wedding dress designs, Hayley Paige from Say Yes to the Dress was forced to give her entire career a redo. Hayley found herself ensnared in a legal battle after a noncompete clause with her former employee halted her career. Her Instagram account, where she featured her designs and promoted her name, became a main topic in the legal feud as her former employer claimed they had a stake in the empire she built.

Now, she's advocating for others to be mindful about their contracts and testified in front of Congress asking for an overhaul on how noncompete clauses work. Hayley warned about the dangers that those early in their career face when they are asked to sign over their intellectual properly and, unknowingly, enter into a contract that can potentially hurt them in the future. Let's get into the details.

JLM Couture, Hayley's former employer, alleged that she was breaking a contract they had in place by promoting other brands on her social media. However, according to Hayley, the company didn't own her Instagram, but that's where the legal debate starts. Unfortunately, a federal judge sided with JLM, which was then able to, essentially, take ownership of Hayley's whole brand.

They seized her social media and even hired another designer to step in for Hayley. Now, her name was being used on products that she didn't create to capitalize on her reputation. Hayley, though, was no longer able to use her own identity to further her career and create her designs.

"I could not use my birth name in any business or commerce or even to publicly identify, and I was also being restricted under a noncompete, which meant I couldn't practice the trade I had dedicated my whole life and education to," she said while testifying in front of Congress.

Hayley started from scratch and launched a new brand called CHEVAL. However, she didn't dip back into the wedding dress industry, but veered into shoe design, instead. In May 2024, Haley did win the rights to her Instagram back and her story became a precedent for others facing similar issues.

Fans fell in love with Hayley long before she stepped onto the show, but she definitely made a major splash on Say Yes to the Dress. The designer would stop by to make cameos on the show from time to time, much to the delight of fans shopping for their perfect wedding day look.

She's still involved in the show, but another designer did replace her briefly. For now, Hayley still doesn't have the ability to craft wedding dress designs under her own name until 2027. She's been able to stay involved to a certain extent, thankfully.

Plus, she even has that extra experience in shoe design now that is sure to come in handy. The show returned to TLC for Season 23 on April 6, 2024, at 8 p.m. EST.