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Our statement | pending federal litigation

Twelve years.Five children.One email.

On January 23, 2026, the livelihood I had built around Colonial Life and The Paul Revere Life Insurance Company was ended in a single termination email. This is my account of what followed - and why agents and brokers should read every word before trusting their future to a carrier.

12years building the relationship
5children depending on one household
1email that ended the income stream

The part a docket cannot show

The bills did not stop when the income did.

“I am not publishing this because I want anyone attacked. I am publishing it because the words ‘producer termination’ do not begin to describe what this has done to a family.”

For approximately twelve years, I worked to build employer relationships, write business, service accounts, and create renewal income through Colonial and Paul Revere. That work was not a side project. It became the livelihood on which my household depended.

I am the sole legal custodian of five children. When the termination email arrived, the income that paid for ordinary life - utilities, food, transportation, household expenses, and the needs of five children - was cut off. The bills kept arriving. Many are now seriously past due, and I do not have income to catch them up.

I feel trapped and emotionally devastated. The experience has left me, at least for now, unable to continue in the insurance industry that had been my career. I do not know how long it will take to rebuild what twelve years of work created.

Timothy Vaughn also lost the relationship, income, renewal opportunities, and the business future he had spent years building. The complaint alleges that his access and practical earning ability were removed immediately even though his notice referred to a thirty-day period.

We know Colonial and Paul Revere deny wrongdoing. We know a complaint is not proof. What we are asking is that the record be examined honestly, the compensation be accounted for transparently, and the accusations not be treated as established facts before they are tested.

What the filed complaint alleges

Why we believe the termination deserves scrutiny

The following points summarize allegations in the Verified Complaint. The defendants dispute them, and the merits remain undecided.

01

A relationship built over years

The complaint alleges that van der Werff began the Colonial/Paul Revere relationship in approximately 2014 and Vaughn in approximately 2017, building employer accounts, commissions, renewals, and long-term business value.

Verified Complaint ¶¶ 27-47.

02

An immediate for-cause termination

Colonial's January 23 letter stated that van der Werff was being terminated immediately for alleged misconduct under specified for-cause provisions. Plaintiffs dispute the factual basis of those accusations.

Verified Complaint ¶¶ 162-174; termination letter described in the filing.

03

Records plaintiffs say contradicted the central accusation

The complaint alleges that employer correspondence and signed election records showed employees could choose Colonial products independently of a separate non-insurance program, and that Colonial had reviewed those records before termination.

Verified Complaint ¶¶ 104-126, 141-148, 208-235.

04

Compensation and long-term damage

The complaint alleges losses involving commissions, renewals, chargebacks, vested compensation, account relationships, long-term book value, reputation, and future earning capacity.

Verified Complaint ¶¶ 190-273, 315-327.

A message to prospective agents and brokers

Think carefully before your family's future depends on a carrier.

This is our opinion based on our experience. It is not a claim that every producer will have the same experience.

Based on what happened to us, I would urge any prospective agent, broker, DGA, ADM, or independent producer to think very carefully before partnering with Colonial Life or Paul Revere - and before tying a household's financial security to any carrier.

Do not rely on trust, tenure, verbal assurances, or the belief that years of production will protect you. Obtain independent legal advice and get clear answers in writing.

01

Do you possess the complete executed agreement?

Keep a legible copy signed or electronically authenticated by every party, including all schedules and amendments.

02

Can the carrier terminate you for conduct it merely “considers” harmful?

Understand every immediate, for-cause, no-cause, notice, and subjective termination provision.

03

What happens to renewals and vesting after termination?

Ask what can be withheld, offset, forfeited, recoded, reassigned, or reduced - and under which exact circumstances.

04

What does a notice period actually protect?

Clarify whether access, servicing authority, new-business rights, account coding, and earning ability continue during notice.

05

Where and how would a dispute be decided?

Identify arbitration rules, governing law, hearing location, fee allocation, discovery rights, and the court rights being waived.

06

Is there any independent review before your livelihood is cut off?

Ask whether you will receive the evidence, a meaningful opportunity to respond, and a written appeal process.

What we want

A fair hearing, a complete accounting, and a chance to prove the record.

We are not asking the public to decide the lawsuit. We are asking for a lawful process in which the documents can be tested, the disputed accusations can be examined, the compensation can be accounted for, and both sides can be heard.

The Verified Complaint seeks damages and other relief for claims including defamation, business disparagement, tortious interference, contract-related claims, declaratory relief, and an accounting. The defendants are entitled to contest every claim.

Responsible attention only

Please read and share accurately - but do not target anyone.

Do not contact the defendants, their employees, witnesses, customers, lawyers, or the court on our behalf. Do not post private information or repeat allegations as proven facts. Attorneys, journalists, and persons offering a documented factual correction may contact us directly.

“We are trying to survive the consequences, preserve the evidence, and find counsel willing to help us be heard.”

Bert J. van der Werff
Timothy L. Vaughn Jr.
Plaintiffs in pending litigation
Statement updated August 2026