The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned Geico‘s earlier legal victory in a high-profile lawsuit involving insurance agents who claimed they were wrongly classified as independent contractors. The court’s decision, filed on Monday, demands further examination of the evidence, specifically questioning the authenticity of documents Geico used to dismiss the case.
Geico’s Win In Agents Benefits Suit : Background of the Dispute
In January 2023, five current and former Geico agents, led by James Moyer, filed a lawsuit alleging that the insurer’s classification of them as independent contractors, rather than employees, deprived them of retirement and other benefits. Geico’s decision to dismiss the lawsuit was initially supported by an Ohio trial court in December, which accepted the insurer’s documents as valid and dismissed the case.
Court Ruling and Next Steps
The Sixth Circuit’s panel, comprising Judges Danny J. Boggs, Deborah L. Cook, and John Nalbandian, reversed this ruling, highlighting significant concerns about the legitimacy of Geico’s submitted documents. The panel criticized the trial court for accepting the documents at face value without addressing the agents’ doubts regarding their authenticity.
