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Case Citation
Legal Case Name

Geysen v. Securitas Security Services USA, Inc. Case Brief

Supreme Court of Connecticut2016Docket #4116964
142 A.3d 227 322 Conn. 385 26 Wage & Hour Cas.2d (BNA) 1374 2016 Conn. LEXIS 235

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Case Brief Summary & Legal Analysis

General Brief
4 min read

tl;dr: An employer fired a salesman, denying him commissions for deals made but not yet invoiced, per their contract. The court upheld the contract term but allowed the salesman to sue on the theory that the employer fired him in bad faith specifically to avoid paying the commissions.

Legal Significance: This case affirms that while employers can contractually set conditions for earning commissions, they breach the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing if they terminate an employee in bad faith to prevent those conditions from being met and avoid paying for past services.

Geysen v. Securitas Security Services USA, Inc. Law School Study Guide

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Case Facts & Court Holding

Key Facts & Case Background

The plaintiff, Kevin Geysen, was an at-will business development manager for the defendant, Securitas Security Services. His compensation included a base salary and commissions. The governing sales incentive plan stipulated that commissions were payable only after the work had been performed and invoiced to the client. Crucially, the plan stated, “Upon the [manager’s] termination of employment, all commissions cease, except that any commissionable amounts that have been invoiced [to the client] prior to the [manager’s] [t]ermination [d]ate … will still be paid….” The defendant terminated the plaintiff’s employment, citing an investigation into improper business activities. At the time of termination, the plaintiff had secured several accounts for which services had been rendered but invoices had not yet been sent to the clients. The plaintiff sued, alleging the defendant’s stated reason for termination was a pretext to avoid paying him these commissions. He brought claims for violation of Connecticut’s wage statute, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and wrongful termination. The trial court struck the latter two claims but found for the plaintiff on the wage claim, deeming the commission provision contrary to public policy.

Court Holding & Legal Precedent

Issue: Does an employer breach the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing by terminating an at-will employee for the bad-faith purpose of preventing the satisfaction of a contractual condition precedent to the payment of commissions for past services?

Yes. The court reversed the trial court’s judgment in part, holding that Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis no

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IRAC Legal Analysis

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Legal Issue

Does an employer breach the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing by terminating an at-will employee for the bad-faith purpose of preventing the satisfaction of a contractual condition precedent to the payment of commissions for past services?

Conclusion

This decision clarifies that an employer's contractual right to define when commissions Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci

Legal Rule

While an employment contract provision conditioning commission payments on an event occurring Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in c

Legal Analysis

The Supreme Court of Connecticut conducted a two-part analysis. First, addressing the Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco labori

Flash-to-Full Case Opinions

Flash Summary

  • A commission clause requiring client invoicing before an employee’s termination for
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididu

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