Roberts v. Jones Lang LaSalle Ams., Inc.

Ohio Ct. App.March 21, 2018No. C-160893

Defendant WinJones Lang LaSalle Ams., Inc

Case Details

Judge(s): Zayas
Status: Published
Procedural Posture: trial verdict

Related Laws

No specific laws identified for this ruling.

Claim Types

Breach of Contract

Excerpt

CONTRACTS: The trial court did not err in granting judgment in favor of defendant former employer on plaintiff real-estate broker's claim for breach of contract for failing to pay him a commission on two leases that neither party negotiated. Where the terms of the parties' severance agreement provided that if defendant did not receive a commission, plaintiff was not entitled to a commission and that defendant had the authority to determine whether to collect or enforce a claim for a commission, defendant did not breach the agreement by failing to pursue a claim for a commission or by not paying a commission to plaintiff. [But see DISSENT: The severance agreement prohibited defendant from waiving plaintiff's commission, and defendant's refusal to collect the commission constitutes a waiver of the commission in breach of the agreement.]

What This Ruling Means

**What happened:** Roberts, a real estate broker, sued his former employer Jones Lang LaSalle for breach of contract. He claimed the company owed him commissions on two leases after he left the company. Roberts believed he was entitled to these commissions under his severance agreement with the employer. **What the court decided:** The court ruled in favor of Jones Lang LaSalle and against Roberts. The court found that the severance agreement clearly stated that Roberts would only receive a commission if the company itself received a commission on those deals. Since the company didn't collect commissions on the two leases in question, Roberts wasn't entitled to any money. The agreement also gave the company full authority to decide whether to pursue or collect commission payments. **Why this matters for workers:** This case shows how important it is for employees to carefully read and understand severance agreements before signing them. The specific language in these contracts matters greatly - what seems like a promise of future payments may actually depend on conditions that are outside the employee's control. Workers should pay close attention to any clauses that tie their compensation to their former employer's business decisions or financial outcomes.

This summary was generated to explain the ruling in plain English and is not legal advice.

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