Lauren: Release of Liability

Couldn't leave you hanging for too long!  Happy Saturday!
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There's a long pause as Sandra collects herself.  "If you're not interested in having your job back," she says finally, speaking slowly, "I'm authorized to offer you a severance package."

Apparently she isn't terribly surprised by my threat.  Alex is watching me intently, and I wonder if he can hear Sandra at all.  "Tell me more," I say.

"I can offer you 4 month's severance pay," she informs me.  "We'd continue to pay it on the same twice monthly schedule as you received your salary while you were employed here.  In return, of course, we'd require you to sign a release of liability."

"That means I sign something saying I won't sue you," I say.

"Correct," Sandra confirms.

"Can you email me the release?  I'll have my attorney look it over when I discuss my options with him."  A little bluff never hurt anyone.  Alex cocks an eyebrow at me and I shrug.  He smirks and shakes his head.

"Um, of course," Sandra replies, sounding flustered for the first time.  I give her my personal email address and tell her I'll talk to my attorney and get back to her.

After we hang up, Alex gives me a look.  "Where are you going to find an attorney?"

"Amanda's husband is an attorney," I reply, shrugging.

Alex laughs.  "Isn't he in patent law?"

"Well, yeah," I answer.  "But I don't really need to talk to an attorney.  I'm not going to actually sue them."

"You could," Alex points out.

"I could," I agree.  "But honestly?  I just want to be done with them and move on.  I'm just not above making them sweat a little."

Alex shrugs one shoulder.  "Maybe you should at least talk to Amanda's husband."

"I can," I agree.

"So did they tell you anything?  I mean, are they firing Sean?"

I roll my eyes.  "'Those involved are being dealt with'," I tell him in a mocking tone.

"Really?" he asks, shaking his head.  "Dealt with, huh?  That shit pisses me off."

I grin.  It takes a lot for Alex to get worked up, and even though his voice isn't raised and his face hasn't changed, I know he's angry on my behalf and I appreciate that.  "Me too," I agree.  "Want to go out for lunch?"

"Yes!" he agrees, quickly and enthusiastically.  "Let's get out of here for awhile."

We go out to lunch, and because it's nice out, we wander around on a short walk.  It doesn't take much for Alex to get short of breath, but he insists on just taking a break and walking a little more.  I know he's going crazy being stuck at home.  He'd tried to get his doctor's approval to at least do some work from home but his doctor said absolutely not for at least two weeks.  He has an appointment on Friday and he's hoping they'll let him start doing some work, either from home or going into the office once or twice a week.

When he's finally too tired to wander around anymore, we head back to his house and he goes upstairs to nap.  I don't feel like job searching so I put on a movie and make myself comfortable in the spot Alex has practically worn out in the last week.  I doze off while I watch, and I wake up when Alex comes back down.  I hang out with him for a little while, then head upstairs to do a little job searching.

Around 7 I call Amanda.  "To what do I owe the pleasure of a phone call from my little sister so soon after I last saw her?" Amanda asks sarcastically when she answers.

"I actually want to talk to Evan," I tell her.

"Of course you do," she replies.  "About what?"  I quickly explain and she just says, "Huh.  Well, let me get him."

"You know I don't do legal advice over the phone," Evan says cheerfully, picking up Amanda's phone.

"I don't want legal advice," I retort, "just some brotherly advice."

"Alright, hit me."

I fill him in and he listens quietly.  He doesn't say anything until I finish, and then he asks, "What's more important to you: making a point or getting something for the shit you had to deal with?"

"'Both' isn't an option?"

"Well, you have a case, but without any proof in your hands of what you think happened, you'll spend more in legal fees than your case is probably worth," he says.  "But if you wanted to make a point, that would be the way to do it."

"So I'm better off taking the severance pay," I say.

"No legal advice, remember?  You need to figure out what's more important.  If you decide making a point is more important, I know a good employment attorney I can recommend.  If you decide taking the money is more important, send me what they want you to sign and I'll make sure you're not going to get screwed."

I get his email address and tell him I'm going to send him the release that Sandra sent me.  I thank him for his non-legal-advice and hang up, then send him the release.  He emails me back in a few minutes and lets me know it's a pretty standard release from liability and he didn't see anything too concerning in it.  I email him back a thanks and then toss my phone aside and head downstairs.

"My non-legal counsel advised me that suing is probably a waste of time and money," I inform Alex.
"If you take the severance, you can focus on just applying for jobs you'd really want," Alex points out.  "You wouldn't have to take something just to have a job."

"That's true," I agree.  "It would give me some more time to wait for something awesome.  There's not much right now."

"There will probably be more after the first of the year," Alex suggests.  I nod.  "What do you think you're going to do?" he asks.

"I think I'll probably take the severance.  I might fuck with them a little bit more first, though."

Alex laughs.  "I wouldn't expect any less of you," he says.

I end up going home for the night.  I need to pick up my mail and check on the house.  I feel a little anxious leaving Alex alone but he assures me that he could use some alone time too.  I remind myself that it's not like he can't get around and do things for himself.  I'm ridiculous.

I wait until mid-afternoon to call Sandra back.  "My attorney told me I have a case," I inform her.  That's not even a lie.  Well, the part about him being my attorney is, I guess.

"Oh," Sandra replies.  It's a calculated response.  We're both silent for several seconds.  She cracks first.  "I've be authorized to increase your severance," she tells me.

"Oh," I reply, in the same tone Sandra used.  Maybe I should have gone to law school.

"I can do 7 months severance pay, plus you'll retain the same insurance coverage with the company paying the same amount of the premium.  In addition, if you'd like to continue contributing to your 401k with the severance pay, we'll continue to match it up to 5%."  She delivers the news in a bored and businesslike tone, as though she doesn't really give a shit what I decide.  Maybe she doesn't.

"7 months?" I ask.  "That's an interesting number."  I try to match her bored tone, but in reality I'm pretty excited that my request to talk to "my attorney" got me another 3 months of pay, plus insurance and continued 401k matching.

"One month for every year you've worked for us, plus a bonus month," she informs me.

"Hmmm," I respond.  Sandra says nothing.  I grow bored of my own game finally and say, "That sounds fair to me."

"Excellent," she replies.  "When can you come in and sign the paperwork?"

I glance at the clock and see it's almost 3.  "How about 4:30?" I ask, knowing that's probably close to when she usually leaves.

"Are you available any earlier?" she asks.

"Unfortunately I'm not," I lie.

She pauses, and I swear I hear her sigh.  "Alright, I'll see you at 4:30, then.  You can ask for me at the front desk.  I'll let them know I'm expecting you."  That's right, I'll have to check in at the desk like a normal non-employee.  That will be weird.

I hang up the phone and head to the shower, needing to get ready for what I hope is my final appearance at my former employer.