Also known as: general agencies · general agent
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
An agent authorized to conduct a series of transactions involving a continuity of service. The classification turns on whether the principal has granted authority for repeated dealings linked by an ongoing relationship rather than isolated or conditional tasks.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Horizon Mutual hired Gareth Glover as an independent adjuster to handle all homeowner claims from a regional hailstorm. Gareth inspected properties, negotiated settlements, and issued checks in Horizon's name over several months as claims arrived. When a policyholder challenged one settlement, Horizon remained bound because Gareth's repeated claim-handling work met the continuity requirement for general agency.
Atlas Investments appointed Gideon Graves to oversee Gerald Gibson's multimillion-dollar account. Gideon bought and sold securities, shifted asset classes, and coordinated with custodians on an ongoing basis for years. After a disputed trade, Atlas could not limit Gideon's authority to a single rebalancing because the multi-year discretionary mandate established general agency.
SummitStay Hotels named Gabriella Gomez regional operations director for five properties. Gabriella negotiated vendor contracts, adjusted pricing, revised policies, and reallocated staff continuously across the region. A vendor could enforce a new agreement against SummitStay because Gabriella's sustained operational duties satisfied the continuity element of general agency.
Global Show retained Guadalupe Gallegos to negotiate multiple film projects and licensing deals for an actress over an indefinite period. Guadalupe secured two film contracts, three licensing deals, and promotional events across eighteen months. Global Show remained bound by later negotiations because the repeated transactions demonstrated the continuity of service required for general agency.
Crown Play hired Gary Goldman to organize preseason exhibition games across several cities. Gary negotiated player contracts, endorsement deals, and appearance fees for the same athlete over three seasons. Crown Play could not disclaim liability for the later contracts because the sustained pattern of similar transactions established general agency.
A general agent conducts a series of transactions involving continuity of service. A special agent handles only a single transaction or a series lacking that continuity. Courts examine the number of transactions, duration of the relationship, and whether the principal imposed temporal or subject-matter limits.
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No. Authority to handle all claims arising from one hailstorm over months still qualifies as a series of transactions with continuity of service. The key is the ongoing claims-handling function rather than the storm's single cause.
…those sold by any "related company," ibid. , including "any parent, subsidiary, reinsurer, successor in interest, managing general agent, or affiliate company of the insurer," § 13802(b),[^maj-5] whether or not the companies were related during the time when the policies subject to disclosure were sold, § 13804(a). Nor is…
…& Nissen made large sales of its products to the Army and Navy and, after December, 1943, to operators of various vessels having general agency
…is subject to suit under a common name, by delivering a copy of the summons and of the complaint to an officer, a managing or
…would be filed for the last quarter of 1972. But that alone does not justify a deduction. In Brown, supra , the taxpayer, a
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An explicit restriction to a single project followed by project-by-project approval severs continuity. Even if the agent performs multiple tasks, the conditional structure prevents formation of the ongoing series required for general agency.
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No. An express directive to handle only a one-month promotion overrides the agent's usual general role. The specific limitation for that transaction controls and renders the agent a special agent for the assigned task.
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Authority limited to negotiating the sale of one identified building, with all other properties reserved to another firm, creates special agency. Additional work on leaseback terms tied to that same asset does not expand the role into a continuing series across the principal's broader affairs.
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