An appeals court has reduced the award in the legal battle between a former insurance agent and Nationwide Mutual Insurance. 
Christine Lucarell of Boardman says that even though she was a performance leader in Nationwide's Executive Agent program, she lost everything when the company changed the rules and took her clients. She sued, and in 2012 a jury awarded her 42-million dollars.  The trial judge reduced it to 14 million, and now the Seventh District Court of Appeals has cut the award to 2.3 million.  

The court also sent the case back to the lower court for a new trial on Lucarell's fraud claim.  She says that's a win for her side. 

"Because we had the largest victory of all, we won our cross appeal to go back to court for fraud and when we win the fraud then we get punitive damages for the breach of contract claims that we have won," Lucarell said.  The court also upheld another key point in her case.

"The appellate court had upheld and agreed that I was an employee, Nationwide wanted us all to be independent contractors which we were not," said Lucarell.
Even though the case has lasted six years, Lucarell says she is committed to seeing it through to the end because she believes in fighting for what's right.

"Even though they took everything from me I decided to pick myself back up and move forward, make a difference and see it through to the very end, and that's what I intend to do," Lucarell said.

Since her 20-12 victory Lucarell says her attorney has been contacted by dozens of other former Nationwide agents and nine other lawsuits have already been filed. No date has been set yet for her new trial.