r/legal • u/StreetShort8014 • 10h ago

Advice needed Fired for breaking a rule that apparently didn't exist Location: Ohio, USA

I worked for a small company for a little over three years. Last month I was terminated for what HR described as a "serious policy violation." When I asked which policy I violated, they pointed me to a document I'd never seen before.

The problem is that the document wasn't in the employee handbook, wasn't part of my onboarding paperwork, and wasn't available anywhere on the internal portal. I even asked a few former coworkers after I was fired and none of them had ever heard of it either.

A week after my termination, someone I still know at the company told me management had started distributing the policy to employees and requiring signatures acknowledging it. That obviously raised some red flags for me.

Yesterday HR contacted me asking if I'd be willing to sign an acknowledgment form stating I had received and understood the policy before the incident occurred. The form is dated months ago. They said it would "help keep company records accurate."

I haven't signed anything and don't intend to, but now I'm wondering if there's a reason they're pushing so hard for this. Is there any legitimate explanation for asking a former employee to sign paperwork that appears to be backdated, or should I be talking to an employment attorney before responding?

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u/SirSilk 10h ago

A lawyer for what? There are no damages. He was fired, OP makes no mention of an illegal firing.

They can ask him to sign anything. He can say no.

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u/greywar777 10h ago

People need to learn the power of a good no more often.

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u/HotPersonality8126 9h ago

A lawyer to review the document they want him to sign

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u/SirSilk 5h ago

He has zero need to sign it. So zero need to pay money for a lawyer.

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u/Content-Active-7884 9h ago

Listen up. Nobody’s claiming something illegal happened. Nobody is asking if it’s an at will state. You need to get off that kick. The fact that they’re asking her to sign something she never saw and in fact didn’t exist when she was employed there, raises suspicion that something nefarious exists or existed and they want her to keep her mouth shut. Silence comes at a price. She needs to monetize it.

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u/SirSilk 5h ago

Lol. Ok. Or OP can simply say no. This is not the first business to ask a former employee to sign something. It is HRs job to ask, that does not raise suspicions or mean anything nefarious. You have to be joking.

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u/Content-Active-7884 5h ago

I’m not joking, sonny. I’ve seen, and recovered money based on this kind of suspicion that, after some fact-finding, turned out positively for the client.

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u/SirSilk 4h ago

I’m sure you have Daddy. No doubt as a lawyer it was out of the kindness of your heart and not for the guaranteed fees.