Insurance Agent for Northwestern Mutual Found to be Independent Contractor, Not Employee

Alan Levin, a Partner in Locke Lord’s Hartford and New York offices, and Richard Reibstein, a Partner in Locke Lord’s New York office and co-head of the Firm’s Independent Contractor Misclassification and Compliance Practice, co-authored an article discussing a favorable ruling for insurance companies on the issue of independent contractor misclassification. The court held that Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company had not misclassified as an independent contractor a life insurance agent who alleged that he was an “employee” under the New Jersey Wage Payment Law.