A guaranteed salary floor and one defined phrase decided a seven-figure fight

A clearly written pay clause has defeated a $2.5 million claim in an Ohio courtroom, handing a win to an insurance benefits broker.

On June 11, 2026, a state appeals court sided with the broker, DCW Group, against a former account manager who said she was owed a cut of the company's entire revenue.

The account manager started at the firm in December 2017. Her offer letter set a base salary of $42,800 and described an alternative formula: her base would equal 10% of the revenue she managed. But the same clause guaranteed the base would never fall below $42,800, because the revenue assigned to her at the start was less than $428,000.

She had left a long-held job to take the position. Over three years, she negotiated extra benefits and a 3% raise, signing each change and later acknowledging she received the money.

The company let her go in January 2021, pointing to a series of mistakes. She sued for breach of contract and two related claims.

Then came the math that drew attention. She argued she was the firm's only licensed account manager, that she essentially ran the whole book, and that the revenue under her had grown past $25 million. At 10%, she said, that came to more than $2.5 million.

The broker saw it differently. It said she handled a defined set of clients and only their major medical plans - not dental, vision, disability, life, or Medicare. Its records showed the revenue tied to her...

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