In a very favorable ruling for insurance companies, a federal district court on May 6 held that Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company had not misclassified as an independent contractor (IC) a life insurance agent who alleged that he was an “employee” under the New Jersey Wage Payment Law.
Independent Contractors
Insurance Agents Not Misclassified As Independent Contractors; Sixth Circuit Rules in Favor of Insurance Company in ERISA Class Action Seeking Pension, Life, and Health Benefits
For the past 18 months, insurance companies have been holding their collective breath to see if an appellate court would affirm or reverse an Ohio district court decision concluding that thousands of current and former agents for American Family Insurance Company were employees and not independent contractors under ERISA, the federal law governing pensions and other employee benefits.…
Reminder: Key Provisions of New York’s Sexual Harassment Law Take Effect Today
New York State and New York City recently passed several anti-harassment laws in the wake of the #MeToo movement that will soon require employers to provide annual sexual harassment prevention training to all workers, distribute a comprehensive sexual harassment prevention policy, and update their form employment contracts and settlement agreements.…
Independent Contractor Misclassification: Class Action Lawyers Now Targeting the Insurance Industry
Independent insurance sales agents have been treated as independent contractors (ICs) for decades. But recently, class action lawyers have begun to target insurance companies with claims that carriers have misclassified these sales agents as ICs instead of employees. These lawsuits allege that insurance companies have violated wage and hour, employee…
Five Key Legal Developments in 2017 in Independent Contractor Misclassification and Compliance Law – and What to Expect in 2018
Independent contractor misclassification class action lawsuits and administrative proceedings are becoming more prevalent. Why? Because most industries have made use of independent contractors either to supplement their workforce or as part of their business model. The insurance industry is no exception; indeed, it has traditionally treated agents as ICs and…