‘This would bankrupt me’: Company demands employee pay back their entire yearly salary after they find out about their second job

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    "This would bankrupt me"
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    Job wants my entire salary back because they found out about a second job
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    I worked at a job for 11 months and did really well, never had any complaints, made a lot of money for the company. I accepted the position on a low salary because I was told
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    everyone gets a huge bonus at the end of the fiscal year. Everyone talked about this bonus and it was supposed to be around $40k. The pay check before that one, I got hurt at work and had to go to the
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    hospital but was fine, although it was a worker's comp claim. The next day, I unexpectedly got let go because "they're going a different direction." Nothing I can do about that because VA is an at-will state, I'm just giving context here.
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    To back up some: 3 months into my employment, I took a fully remote job doing marketing (completely unrelated to the field in my first job.) I managed both jobs just fine but my boss at my first job didn't know
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    about it. It didn't affect my work whatsoever and I didn't think twice about it. I just received an email today from my former employer stating that in my employment
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    contract, I was supposed to not have another job and if so, I needed to get approval first to make sure there's not a conflict of interest. I didn't realize that was even in there but I sign it, so they are now asking for
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    everything they paid me the last 11 months back. Can they do this, is it legal? They said I have a week to respond. This would bankrupt me and hurt my entire family, who I
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    support. I am sick over this and not sure what to do. I'm not sure how they even found out about my other job, but I suspect that I may have once logged into my personal email
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    from my work computer, and they may have went through my emails, but I can't prove that obviously.
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    Tarik861 13 hr. ago You need to talk to lawyer. The fact that they let you go immediately after you got hurt at work, and before the big bonus that was promised was paid, is highly suspect. The lawyer will look
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    at the contract in light of VA law and can advise you. Nobody on Reddit has enough information or the credentials to advise you appropriately.
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    And yes you will likely have to pay to consult an attorney. It's worth a few hundred bucks if you find out that you may be entitled to thousands.
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    Klondike307 13 hr. ago Definitely do this, your sudden termination after experiencing an on-the- job injury and right before a scheduled bonus is supper sketchy.
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    • jamesinboise 13 hr. ago So you worked for them, they paid you, now they want that salary returned? Yeah, no.
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    Informal-Club2814 OP. 13 hr. ago So they can't legally do this?
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    jamesinboise 13 hr. ago I'd get a free consult with an employment lawyer to confirm in your jurisdiction, but I've never heard of requesting salary paid for work performed being upheld by any court.
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    Catch Me If You Can09 - 9 hr. ago No they can't have the money back; that's illegal. And an employer needing to "approve" 2nd jobs? Also illegal. Enforcing a conflict of interest clause is fine as long as there wasn't one.
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    Call an employment lawyer.... and make sure you tell then you were wrongfully terminated and "at will employment laws don't over ride retaliation. You are let go because you got injured and it cost them money. Don't hide it.
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    the_simurgh 6 hr. ago Antiwork Advocate/Proponent You must be paid for work. They can not force you to pay back your salary. They would have to sue for damages which are hard to prove. They are trying to threaten you not to come after the bonus your owed.
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    Standard operating procedure for scummy companies. Distract with threats, hope the person doesn't exercise thier legal rights till the statute of limitations expires.
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    . Shadow_84 13 hr. ago Squatter Just because you broke a rule they hid in the contract doesn't mean the whole employment was void. It just gives them the right to fire you with cause.
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    Petty me wants to say to them if we're reneging on everything you were paid, then they need to reverse every you did while employed. The work was done, and they were required to pay you for it
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    thdudie 12 hr. ago Sounds like your firing was retaliation. Secondly, can you send me $500? See, anyone can ask you for any sort of thing, it doesn't mean you are required to give it to them. Yes legally they can ask you
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    and legally you can tell them to pound sand. But go talk to an employment lawyer. At will does not make retaliation legal.
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    Informal-Club2814 OP. 9 hr. ago Thank you for this. The contract/agreement didn't say anything about any damages. It just said you can't get a second job without getting the okay from HR first to make sure
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    there's no conflict of interest. My second job was something I did after work hours and on the weekends, it was basically just managing a website for a non profit (not even remotely related to this field)

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