Adams v. Lci International Telecom Corp., Unpublished Decision (7-20-2000)

**What Happened** Adams, a salesperson, sued LCI International Telecom Corporation for breach of contract. Adams claimed that LCI had a duty to follow up on sales leads and make reasonable efforts to develop those leads into actual sales. Adams argued that even though this wasn't explicitly written in their sales agreement, the company had an implied obligation to act in good faith and put in reasonable effort to turn leads into sales. **What the Court Decided** The court ruled in favor of LCI. The appeals court upheld a lower court's decision that LCI had no legal obligation to follow up on leads. The court found that the sales agreement specifically stated that LCI was not responsible for following up on leads, and this clear language prevented any implied duty to make reasonable efforts to develop sales. **Why This Matters for Workers** This case shows how important it is for workers to carefully read their contracts, especially sales agreements. If a contract specifically states the employer won't do something (like follow up on leads), courts typically won't create additional obligations that aren't written down. Sales workers should pay close attention to what support their employer promises to provide and negotiate for specific commitments in writing if those services are important to their success.