'I lost a lot of sleep': Fired employee finds out company lied on termination report to keep them from getting unemployment, spends months trying to win the appeal

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Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Jun 30, 2026 12:00 PM EDT

If the little guy doesn't fight the big guy, who will?

By now, we have all lived through enough to know that we should always consider which battles to pick. Some battles are simply not worth the time and effort we put into them, while others are an absolute must that we shouldn't let go of. Some struggles are monumental to our development and human learning, while others teach us that it is okay to let things go. At some point, you're expected to recognize which is which and what battle you should focus on.

When it comes to work battles, many people give up before they even try. These types of struggles are some of the most time and energy-consuming, and they take a lot of willpower not to give up. But when you find yourself in the position of the little guy, fighting for your rights in front of the big, evil corporation, your values keep you from giving up. You deserve that justice, and the big guy shouldn't get away with everything just because he's more powerful. You have power too; never be afraid to use it.

The little guy below is currently fighting to prove exactly that. After they were wrongfully fired, they decided to apply for unemployment, but were surprised to learn they were denied because of their ex-employer's termination report. It was filled with lies and misinformation and basically accused the employee of the termination, therefore costing them the right to unemployment.

While it would have been easier to give up and let the company get away with it, the fired employee refused to back down. They knew they could prove the company was lying, and they believed they could win. This was one battle they were more than willing to fight.

This decision started a five-month-long battle between the little guy and the big guy, and it is still ongoing. Below is the full story and details.

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  • 01

    "They Broke The Rules, I Became The Consequences." My 5+ month battle against corporate wage theft, document forgery, and retaliation.

    Hello everyone. I just wanted to find a place I could vent, and share my 5+ month journey in a case that is about corporate wage theft, document forging, uneven enforcement of policies and procedures, and how a huge. corporate giant still wins and gets to have multiple chances to deny and make things up- and still stay in business.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 02
    Male actor showcasing concept of a lawyer in an office with a gavel.
    via Getty Images

    Male actor showcasing concept of a lawyer in an office with a gavel.

  • 03
    Early this year, I was fired by the company I worked for over the last 3 years.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 04
    I was not a manager; I was just a regular employee. My background is restaurant management and operations.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 05
    The Firing As I said, early this year I was working and we had just had a huge rush.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 06
    The kitchen was just gearing down from a busy lunch rush. As I was restocking the line, the kitchen manager came up to me and told me, "Hey, I was supposed to give you a review, but no worries.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 07
    I took care of it and just photocopied someone else's review and put your name on it." At this moment, in my head, I was already feeling unappreciated, overworked, and tired of the company.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 08
    So at this point, I told the manager, "See, this is why I don't like these reviews.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 09
    They don't matter anyway," told her that it wasn't for me, and walked away. When I thought it was over, 20 minutes went by and that same manager asked me to get my stuff and meet with her in the dining room.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 10
    I went out there and she said, "No, go get your stuff and come meet with me out here." So I went into the kitchen and got my stuff.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 11
    The others I was working with that day asked, "Where you going?" I said, "I don't know..." I went back out there and out in a booth was the General Manager and the kitchen manager, and I was told I was terminated.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 12
    The GM asked what was the statement that I told the kitchen manager. I told him honestly, "I don't truly remember everything.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 13
    But I feel that I am not appreciated around here." He pushed a paper in front of me and asked for a statement.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 14
    I just wrote, "I have nothing to say," and left. The Unemployment Trap as days went on, I filed for unemployment and waited 4 weeks for them to do anything.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 15
    As I was looking through the paperwork, I noticed they were saying that I made a "sideways threat" and was terminated due to a policy that they don't tolerate threatening statements.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 16
    I was very confused about what was going on. I appealed for my unemployment. I sat up researching everything.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 17
    In the hearing packet, I didn't see this policy they said I violated. I saw they didn't meet the unemployment burden of proof at all.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 18
    The GM wrote a statement that actually painted me in a good light (saying I did the right thing standing up with other co-workers) and then tried to say that when I had a back injury, he "allowed" me to take sick leave... hmm.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 19
    I thought that was my property and I was legally owed this? Anyways, he also said that he bought me a new bike so I could get to work (but the company's snow plow contractor wrecked my bike I still have those - pictures), so he had to do this to cover his a from a lawsuit.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 20
    The day comes when the hearing comes for the appeal to their decision. I got them to admit to forging documents, uneven enforcement of policy, and spoliation of evidence (destroying the reviews and other employee documents).
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 21
    When I left that hearing, I knew I had cornered them! Two weeks go by... they won!
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 22
    And the hearing officer even put the confession of the manager in the fact-finding hearing decision!!
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 23
    F my life. Going on the Offensive So now, I dug my feet in. I started to research every law and every legal framework I could to make sure I fight this full on.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 24
    I fired up my computer and started to email the wage division about everything I had (unsigned break waiver, being logged out of the payroll portal after I sent the demand for wages for the break violation).
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 25
    As I dug more and more, I found more and more things this company was doing wrong...
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 26
    Businessman wearing a suit looking directly at the camera.
    via Ali Morshedlou

    Businessman wearing a suit looking directly at the camera, actor depiction

  • 27
    like the ghost positions they had me do that were outside of the scope of my work agreement
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 28
    I did everything from hood and fryer maintenance to parking lots. At the time, I thought I was just taking on more jobs so I could get more hours to survive.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 29
    But in fact, they were exploiting my work ethic. So I sent everything to the labor investigator until they told me to stop sending them things.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 30
    During this time, I was still fighting for my unemployment. I wrote to the appeal courts and pointed out that the hearing officer didn't give me a fair hearing, put words in my mouth, and pointed out the company failed to meet their burden of proof.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 31
    Cornering Corporate Legal As I sat there fighting all this, I contacted the corporate head office and sent them the official state-certified hearing fact-findings.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 32
    I let them simmer on that for a day. Then, I followed up with a fully formed global settlement agreement based on the facts that were already certified (party-opponent statements) and asked them to settle this, or I would escalate it to the federal NLRB (National Labor Relations Board).
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 33
    I gave them 3 days to think about it. And as I had trackers on the email, it went from 10 opens to 130 opens within 3 days!!!
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 34
    They had everyone looking at my email. I was sending these emails to the Senior VP of General Counsel for the company that holds the franchise.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 35
    Well, up until they directed me to some employee counsel and told me, "You are under an arbitration agreement..." I fired back an email to her and told her: "Regarding Arbitration: An arbitration agreement does not grant immunity for Criminal Document Tampering, nor does it prevent the District Attorney from. investigating the admitted forgery of state-mandated records." I didn't hear anything else from them after that, so I went and filed everything with the NLRB and sent everything in to the l
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 36
    And the one thing that they failed to see in the global settlement agreement I sent them under the media embargo was a fail-safe.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 37
    Remember when I said I was sending this to the SVP of General Counsel? Well, I asked that person to withdraw the claim due to the finding of facts the state already certified.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 38
    They didn't. WHAT A SHOCKER!!! Not really. So I went to the Bar Association in their state and sent them the tracker log, alongside the email with every legal team member in the CC and BCC lines.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 39
    I submitted it under moral turpitude. Where I Stand Today To this day, I am still multiple days in.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 40
    I have made this into my full- time job. Lost a lot of sleep. And now I know that the company I worked for has blacklisted me and retaliated against me the whole way - from me standing my legal grounds, to them forging documents, to the 20-minute time frame of being fired after standing up for what was right, and them blocking me from getting my benefits.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 41
    I wish I could say at the end of this that everything is rainbows and sunshine, but I can't.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 42
    The appeal I sent to the courts sided with the hearing officer!! What the hl! They said the company just has to say they have such a policy and don't need to actually prove it exists... (that is not how unemployment in our state works, but ok whatever).
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 43
    During that time, I hit the lowest part of this whole story. I had multiple utilities shut off and missed my deadline to appeal it to the higher courts.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 44
    If it wasn't for selling everything and having. great support from my landlord to let me do maintenance work for them, I would probably be out on the streets right now as I fight this.
    via Project_Hope_Requiem
  • 45
    The wage claim is due soon. The NLRB? Well, that's going to take a long time..
    via Project_Hope_Requiem

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getting fired employment issues corporate employee fired job work court case lawsuit company unemployment
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