#13 Oh Kevin, You Really Screwed Up
My client had hired a guy who we will call Kevin. He was basically the right-hand man for my client’s company. The employment contract wasn’t done yet, but they had an agreement that Kevin would work six weeks at a lower wage, then sign the contract and get the agreed-upon wage. The guy worked decently for five weeks, then he was given a contract to sign. He went to my client and said that he had some small changes he would like to make.
When the owner got the contract back, he discovered that the “small changes” involved removing the “Duties and Responsibilities” section (basically the job description), the non-compete clause, and the confidentiality clause. Not only that, but he had written in a higher salary than agreed and added a bunch of new benefits for himself. Obviously, my client told him that he could either sign the contract as it was originally laid out or he could find himself another job.
He took the latter option, but he started a lawsuit against my client, wanting to be paid for the six weeks he was supposed to work (which had already been paid), two weeks in lieu of notice and FIVE weeks vacation pay. I got the enjoyable job of telling Kevin, in front of a judge, that he was not entitled to anything under the employment legislation and the only way he could get any of that was if he had signed the contract. The judge dismissed the case and awarded costs to the defendant but not before giving Kevin a lecture on wasting the court’s time.
Credit: kitskill
