A lawsuit has been filed against two insurance companies for allegedly failing to pay their employees the commissions they were contractually promised. The complaint was filed by Danielle Gutierrez and Barbara Placanica in the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina on February 3, 2026, targeting Novatae Management, LLC, and World Insurance Associates LLC.
The plaintiffs, Danielle Gutierrez and Barbara Placanica, claim that their employers breached written employment contracts by not paying them the agreed-upon commission rates. According to the complaint, both women worked for Scottish American Management, which was acquired by World Insurance in April 2021 and later renamed Novatae Management. They allege that upon this acquisition, they received offer letters confirming a commission rate of 33% on net revenue generated. However, despite generating substantial revenue—over $2.4 million for Gutierrez and over $3.8 million for Placanica between 2021 and 2025—they were only paid base salaries with nominal bonuses instead of the promised commissions.
The plaintiffs assert that this breach occurred under both New York and North Carolina law since they relocated from New York to North Carolina during their employment. They accuse the defendants of systematically refusing to honor their contractual obligations while benefiting from their labor. The plaintiffs also claim violations of the New York Labor Law Article 6 and the North Carolina Wage and Hour Act due to unpaid wages.
Gutierrez and Placanica are seeking compensatory damages totaling $1,351,484 in unpaid commissions—$552,470 for Gutierrez and $799,014 for Placanica—as well as liquidated damages under both state laws. They request an order finding that their employers breached both written contracts and implied covenants of good faith and fair dealing.
The legal representation for the plaintiffs is provided by attorneys Philip J. Gibbons Jr. and Corey M. Stanton from Gibbons Law Group PLLC based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The case is presided over by a judge yet to be named under Case ID: 1:26-cv-00123.
Source: 126cv00123_Gutierrez_v_Novatae_Management_LLC_Complaint_Middle_District_North_Carolina.pdf
