A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_URI::$config is deprecated
Filename: core/URI.php
Line Number: 101
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_Router::$uri is deprecated
Filename: core/Router.php
Line Number: 127
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property Home::$benchmark is deprecated
Filename: core/Controller.php
Line Number: 82
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property Home::$hooks is deprecated
Filename: core/Controller.php
Line Number: 82
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property Home::$config is deprecated
Filename: core/Controller.php
Line Number: 82
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property Home::$log is deprecated
Filename: core/Controller.php
Line Number: 82
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property Home::$utf8 is deprecated
Filename: core/Controller.php
Line Number: 82
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property Home::$uri is deprecated
Filename: core/Controller.php
Line Number: 82
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property Home::$exceptions is deprecated
Filename: core/Controller.php
Line Number: 82
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property Home::$router is deprecated
Filename: core/Controller.php
Line Number: 82
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property Home::$output is deprecated
Filename: core/Controller.php
Line Number: 82
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property Home::$security is deprecated
Filename: core/Controller.php
Line Number: 82
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property Home::$input is deprecated
Filename: core/Controller.php
Line Number: 82
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property Home::$lang is deprecated
Filename: core/Controller.php
Line Number: 82
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Return type of CI_Session_files_driver::open($save_path, $name) should either be compatible with SessionHandlerInterface::open(string $path, string $name): bool, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice
Filename: drivers/Session_files_driver.php
Line Number: 132
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Return type of CI_Session_files_driver::close() should either be compatible with SessionHandlerInterface::close(): bool, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice
Filename: drivers/Session_files_driver.php
Line Number: 294
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Return type of CI_Session_files_driver::read($session_id) should either be compatible with SessionHandlerInterface::read(string $id): string|false, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice
Filename: drivers/Session_files_driver.php
Line Number: 168
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Return type of CI_Session_files_driver::write($session_id, $session_data) should either be compatible with SessionHandlerInterface::write(string $id, string $data): bool, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice
Filename: drivers/Session_files_driver.php
Line Number: 237
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Return type of CI_Session_files_driver::destroy($session_id) should either be compatible with SessionHandlerInterface::destroy(string $id): bool, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice
Filename: drivers/Session_files_driver.php
Line Number: 317
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Return type of CI_Session_files_driver::gc($maxlifetime) should either be compatible with SessionHandlerInterface::gc(int $max_lifetime): int|false, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice
Filename: drivers/Session_files_driver.php
Line Number: 358
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: Warning
Message: ini_set(): Session ini settings cannot be changed after headers have already been sent
Filename: Session/Session.php
Line Number: 282
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: Warning
Message: session_set_cookie_params(): Session cookie parameters cannot be changed after headers have already been sent
Filename: Session/Session.php
Line Number: 289
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: Warning
Message: ini_set(): Session ini settings cannot be changed after headers have already been sent
Filename: Session/Session.php
Line Number: 304
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: Warning
Message: ini_set(): Session ini settings cannot be changed after headers have already been sent
Filename: Session/Session.php
Line Number: 314
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: Warning
Message: ini_set(): Session ini settings cannot be changed after headers have already been sent
Filename: Session/Session.php
Line Number: 315
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: Warning
Message: ini_set(): Session ini settings cannot be changed after headers have already been sent
Filename: Session/Session.php
Line Number: 316
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: Warning
Message: ini_set(): Session ini settings cannot be changed after headers have already been sent
Filename: Session/Session.php
Line Number: 317
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: Warning
Message: ini_set(): Session ini settings cannot be changed after headers have already been sent
Filename: Session/Session.php
Line Number: 375
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: Warning
Message: session_set_save_handler(): Session save handler cannot be changed after headers have already been sent
Filename: Session/Session.php
Line Number: 110
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: Warning
Message: session_start(): Session cannot be started after headers have already been sent
Filename: Session/Session.php
Line Number: 143
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property Home::$session is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 1283
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property Home::$email is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 1283
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property Home::$pdf is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 1283
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property Home::$db is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 396
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_DB_mysqli_driver::$failover is deprecated
Filename: database/DB_driver.php
Line Number: 371
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property Home::$form_validation is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 1283
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property Home::$adminmodel is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 358
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property Home::$leadmodel is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 358
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property Home::$clientmodel is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 358
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property Home::$pagination is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 1283
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/models/Pagemodel.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property Home::$pagemodel is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 358
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_Loader::$load is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 931
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_Loader::$benchmark is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 931
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_Loader::$hooks is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 931
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_Loader::$config is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 931
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_Loader::$log is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 931
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_Loader::$utf8 is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 931
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_Loader::$uri is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 931
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_Loader::$exceptions is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 931
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_Loader::$router is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 931
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_Loader::$output is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 931
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_Loader::$security is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 931
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_Loader::$input is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 931
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_Loader::$lang is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 931
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_Loader::$session is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 931
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_Loader::$email is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 931
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_Loader::$pdf is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 931
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_Loader::$db is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 931
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_Loader::$form_validation is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 931
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_Loader::$adminmodel is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 931
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_Loader::$leadmodel is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 931
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_Loader::$clientmodel is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 931
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_Loader::$pagination is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 931
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
A PHP Error was encountered
Severity: 8192
Message: Creation of dynamic property CI_Loader::$pagemodel is deprecated
Filename: core/Loader.php
Line Number: 931
Backtrace:
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/application/controllers/Home.php
File: /home/agentsof/public_html/index.php
Agent Commission and Divisible Contracts
Agent Commission and Divisible Contracts
By W. Burke Coleman, Esq. of Demotech, Inc.
Agents often devote significant time and attention to understanding the insurance policies they work with; but they may overlook the importance of examining the contracts that affect them directly—their own employment agreements. One recent case draws attention to how courts may treat an insurance agent’s commission agreement and serves as a reminder to agents to know how the law impacts their rights as employees.
In
Access Insurance Planners, Inc. v. Gee , No. 4D14-1883 and 4D14-2706, 2015 Fla. App. LEXIS 14513 (Fla. 4th DCA Sep. 30, 2015), a Florida court of appeals reversed a lower court ruling and held that a commission agreement between an agent and an agency was a “divisible contract.” This finding meant that an agent could not recover unpaid commissions because the statute of limitations for recovering each unpaid commission ran separately and did not accrue later as a single claim.
The case arose when an insurance agent noticed that she had not been paid all of her commissions. In 2004, the agent had entered into an agreement with an agency whereby the agent would generate business for the agency and would receive a percentage of the gross commission. In 2007, the agent first noticed that she had not been paid all of her 2005 commissions. But it was not until 2009 that the agent communicated the problem to the agency. Eventually, the agency terminated the agent in late 2010 and the agent filed suit for the unpaid commissions in early 2011.
The trial court held in favor of the agent, largely overlooking the nature of the contract and the statute of limitations for breach of contract claims. The court said that whether the cause of action accrued in 2007 when the agent noticed that her checks were less, in 2010 when the agency disclosed to the agent the gross commissions for the time period, or later in 2010 when the agency repudiated the agreement, the agent’s causes of action for breach of the oral agreement accrued within the 4-year statute of limitations specified by Florida law.
On appeal, the Fourth District Court of Appeals disagreed. The appellate court said the agreement was a “divisible contract, meaning that the failure to pay each commission was a separate breach subject to its own four-year statute of limitations.” Contract law regards divisible contracts as one contract but “on performance by one side of each of its successive divisions the other party becomes liable for his or her performance of that division. In other words, a ‘divisible contract’ is one where the performance is divided into different groups, each set embracing performances which are the agreed exchange for each other.” 17A Am. Jur. 2d Contracts § 405. In this case, the court noted that the agency agreed to pay a percentage of the gross commission to the agent for each policy the agent sold, with each receipt of a premium or renewal premium from an insurer as a “separate, distinct event.” As a divisible contract, the failure to pay each commission was a separate breach by the agency, giving rise to a separate cause of action, and separately starting the clock on the statute of limitations.
Citing
Fradley v. Cnty. of Dade , 187 So. 2d 48, 49 (Fla. 3d DCA 1966), the court explained that, under Florida law, the general rule is that “a cause of action for a breach of contract accrues at the time of the breach, not from the time when consequential damages result or become ascertained.” Accordingly, the court found that the four year statute of limitations had run on the agent’s claims for unpaid commissions prior to 2007.
(The court noted that the facts of the case might have supported a claim for equitable estoppel—to prevent a party from profiting from his or her wrongdoinog—but the agent waived the claim for estoppel by failing raise the issue at trial or on appeal.)
The case offers a lesson on the nature of agent commission agreements and the implications of divisible contracts. Agents should understand how their employment agreements operate in all aspects and the specific rights and obligations of each party to the contract. In this case, the agent did not recognize the divisibility of the commission agreement, slept on her claims, and was unable to recover the unpaid commissions. With respect to their clients, agents are not expected to be financial sleuths or legal experts, but they are expected to act with due care and diligence. They would do well to exercise that same level of care and diligence for their own engagements.
W. Burke Coleman is Legal Counsel and Compliance Manager for Demotech, Inc. Burke can be contacted at bcoleman@demotech.com . This article is for informational purposes only, is not intended as legal advice, and is not a substitute for independent legal analysis and advice on a particular issue. Demotech is a financial analysis firm specializing in evaluating the financial stability of regional and specialty insurers. Demotech’s philosophy is to review and evaluate insurers based on their area of focus and execution of their business model rather than solely on financial size. Financial Stability Ratings® (FSRs) from Demotech are a leading indicator of an insurer’s financial stability. FSRs are based upon a series of quantitative ratios and considerations which together comprise Demotech’s Financial Stability Analysis Model. FSRs are accepted by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and various HUD programs, as well as a number of umbrella and agents’ errors and omissions markets, and mortgage lenders. For more information, please visit www.demotech.com .
VIEW RATINGS FOR INSURERS
Enter name of Insurance Company and press GO button.
© 2026 AGENTSOFAMERICA.ORG. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
