September 28th, 2025
Posted By
Kerry V. O’Brien

On March 26, 2025, an Arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association awarded a client of the O'Brien Law Firm $152,140 in unpaid sales commissions, which was 100% of what he was owed. This Regional Sales Manager was the most successful salesperson for his then-employer, Act Global Americas, Inc., an artificial turf manufacturer for sports fields and aviation settings, during his time with the company. Act Global through its CEO John Baize strongly contested the claim but ultimately lost after a final 2-day arbitration hearing that took place in February 2025 in Austin, Texas. The arbitrator also awarded pre-decision interest at 7.5%, which added up to over $27,000, given that this case has been going on for 2 1/2 years. The arbitrator also awarded the employee his attorney's fees and costs. Altogether, the O'Brien Law Firm won its client an award of over $248,000. The client's original unpaid commissions claim was at $152K, meaning that after litigation, the employer's debt to the employee increased by almost one hundred thousand dollars over what it originally owed. That is the cost that an employers may bear if they unwisely fight a claim for compensation that their former employee rightfully earned.

Act Global also filed counterclaims against the employee, likely as an attempt to scare him into abandoning his rightful claims. However, due to the defense provided by the O'Brien Law Firm, the employer lost on all of them.

UPDATE: In September 2025, after the O'Brien Law Firm had filed a lawsuit in a Travis County district court seeking to finalize and enforce the successful arbitration award to get its client paid, the parties settled the result on confidential terms.