My Employer Pressured Me Into An Agreement And I Am Wondering If That's Even Legal And Enforceable

Hi everyone,

I’m seeking advice on the enforceability of an agreement made via email. My employer had me send an email proposing a fair commission split for incoming business I was generating (sales). He rejected my initial proposal, responding via email that it was offensive and instructing me to revise it.

At that point, I already felt pressured into the agreement. Wanting to avoid further conflict, I sent another email agreeing to a split more in line with his expectations—primarily to appease him and prevent additional friction.

This agreement was made based on the premise that he would support me in this venture, though we never defined what that support would entail. We only specified how the commission would be split and agreed that the arrangement would remain in effect even if I left the company—whether I resigned or was terminated for cause. This means that if I continue doing business, I would still owe him the agreed-upon split for a certain number of transactions.

To this day, he has made no effort to contribute to the business—it has been entirely on me. I believe this is extremely unfair, and I’m now questioning whether the agreement is even legally binding, given that nothing was formally signed and it was solely an email exchange. He has previously stated that he would sue me if our working relationship ended and I refused to pay him his split.

I would appreciate any insights on whether this agreement holds legal weight and what options I might have. We are located in NY

Thanks in advance!