Opinion ID: 1497709
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Purdy's entitlement to the amounts claimed

Text: The trial court concluded as a matter of fact that the period during which Purdy did not work was an unauthorized leave of absence. Thus the court rejected Purdy's attempt to characterize the period as a vacation. The court did not find credible the evidence Purdy proffered that he had an informal agreement with CTC that he would continue to accrue commissions during this absence. Instead, the court found CTC's witnesses credible. Moreover, the agreement between Purdy and CTC specifically binds Purdy to normal Company policies. One of those policies is an unpaid leave policy that requires in part that the employee submit a written request. It is undisputed that Purdy did not comply with this policy. We will not disturb the court's factual finding that Purdy's absence was an unpaid leave and, therefore, that Purdy was not entitled to commissions accruing during this period. See Sabattus School Comm. v. Dept. of Educ., 644 A.2d 1380, 1382 (Me.1994) ([A] factual finding will be set aside as clearly erroneous only if there is no competent evidence in the record to support it.). The finding that Purdy's absence was an unpaid leave relieved the trial court, and now relieves us, of the need to reach the question of whether Purdy was the procuring cause of the sales at issue. The procuring cause inquiry is meant to protect a salesperson who is discharged prior to the culmination of a sale, but after he or she has done everything that is necessary to effect the sale. Furth v. Inc. Publishing Corp., 823 F.2d 1178, 1180 (7th Cir.1987). It is not meant to protect employees who are deemed not to have worked during the period those commissions were accruing. Neither party claimed, and the court did not determine, that Purdy's six-month absence amounted to a resignation or termination.
The trial court determined that CTC effectively terminated its agreement with Purdy when it informed him, on November 13, 1990, that it was reassigning the State of Maine account to make it a house account. This reassignment meant that Purdy would no longer receive commissions from related sales. The agreement allowed CTC to terminate Purdy without cause but required CTC to provide him with two weeks notice. The court concluded that CTC owed Purdy commissions on the State account from the date of his return to work (November 1, 1990) through November 29, 1990 (two weeks following CTC's notice of termination to Purdy). The agreement provides that alterations may be made only by further written agreement between the parties. Absent evidence of any written agreement between the parties, and given that CTC did pay Purdy commissions on other contracts for the period from November 14 to December 31, 1990, CTC was obligated to pay commission on sales to the State and was required to abide by section 626 with respect to all commissions that accrued between the date Purdy returned and the date his employment with CTC terminated, December 31, 1990.