Delaware County Severance Agreement Lawyers

Providing Legal Counsel for Severance Agreements

Also known as termination agreements or separation agreements, severance agreements often include provisions for severance pay, non-compete clauses, and restrictive covenants. While severance agreements are typically a small concern to employees while they are at a job, leaving and seeking employment in a similar field may prove to be a challenge for employees with very specialized skills.

Employees who are skilled in one particular field may be contractually bound to not take employment with a competitor. Additionally, some employees may feel powerless to report any fraudulent practices of an employer in fear of losing their position.

Delaware County severance agreement lawyers at Sidney L. Gold & Associates have over 40 years’ worth of experience in negotiating favorable severance agreements for employees, and can advocate on your behalf if you believe an employer used a severance agreement to mask discriminatory practices. Additionally, our lawyers have defended whistleblowers who have been retaliated against for reporting any fraudulent practices.

Severance Agreements: Legal Bribes

While they are completely legal, severance agreements can be seen as bribes between the employer and employee. When an employee signs a severance agreement they are accepting that their employer can terminate their employment at any time provided they give the employee severance pay. By signing a severance agreement, an employee agrees that they lose the ability to pursue legal action against an employer. Before signing any type of severance agreement, it is important to remove all doubt you may have and consult with our Delaware County severance agreement lawyers who can explain the details of the contract. Additionally, our lawyers can work with your employer to amend a preexisting contract or draft a new severance agreement entirely.

Restrictions on Severance Agreements

While they may seem air-tight, there are some practices that may make a severance agreement void. While a severance agreement may seem to give the employer a lot of leverage and free reign to do what they want, it does not protect them from illegal actions. Severance agreements must comply with federal and state anti-discrimination laws. Much like reduction in force (RIF), a severance agreement can be used by an employer to cover a discriminatory or retaliatory practice. We can determine if there was an ulterior motive behind your termination. Employees who suspect that they have been terminated based solely or partly due to the following factors may have a discrimination case:

Age
Disability
Pregnancy
Race
Religion
Sex or gender
Sexual orientation

Furthermore, if an individual was retaliated against after reporting the fraudulent practices of an employee, they should seek the counsel of an experienced employment lawyer immediately. Whistleblowers are protected under both state and federal laws and cannot suffer retaliation from the employer in the form of termination, demotion, or change in duties or pay.