this post was submitted on 05 Aug 2024
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Legal Advice

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I quit a job in California. After my resignation, they sent me an email requesting that I confirm I turned over all employer property, and asked me to sign an agreement with the following:

Do I need to respond at all? Can I strike that if I don't agree to that last statement? How should I handle this?

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[–] [email protected] 41 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Do not respond, do lawyer up. Sounds like they know they fucked up and they want to shut you up.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Sounds like the plan, I am not going to respond.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

Keep us posted OP

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago
[–] [email protected] 39 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

The time to form contracts is when both parties will benefit. If they're offering something in return for this signature, you get to decide whether you want to take those benefits.

If not, just say you're not interested in forming new agreements with them. Last time I was in a meeting with a manager trying to get a similar form signed, the phrase "this looks like a contract and you're not offering anything in return" was useful, or "if this is merely a summary of what we've already agreed, then there is no need for a signature"

Contracts you've already agreed to (i.e. the original employment contract) would still apply, so look there to see if there's anything relevant to this situation (which, as others have mentioned, might still get overridden by actual laws)

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

I am not a lawyer but i would ignore it. Unless they offer you a severance bonus or something and make it contingent on signing. If you're not a fiduciary and nothing was in your original employment agreement, spill the beans once you're free. Don't lie or be emotional, keep it truthful and clean.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

Edited by user. I was offered no severance.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

So they're asking you to sign a contract without "consideration", ie you get nothing. Hard no.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Coincidentally a contract without consideration is not legally enforceable.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Really? That's useful information.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Not a lawyer but recently used a lawyer for something similar. They are hoping you’ll sign it.

Normally they tie it to a payment to get you to sign it.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago

Pretty sure this is illegal now.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Lemmy bringing the textbooks!

OP, para (b)(1)(B) gives some information that the employer might have forgotten to mention.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago

Get an attorney that specializes in whistleblowing cases before you sign anything.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago

You seem to have nothing the gain from signing this. Similar to how you’d have nothing to gain by speaking to the police.

(I am not a lawyer)

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

That's such a short contract I can't help but think their legal department was nowhere near involved in writing it. It's way too broad and may violate state labor laws, but I'm not a lawyer.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

No. They cannot require that you don't say anything negative about them. Lumping all of these together seems illegal.