Wage A Wage War

I was not the best employee. I was not the worst, either, but I was a little accident-prone. I did what I was capable of doing right. That said, it was fair enough that I got fired after enough write-ups… Even if the write-ups were actually false, for example, accusing me of billing clients when I didn’t do work because I used the incorrect form reporting what work I did for them, despite me having laid out notes in detail explaining what I had done during the session.

My boss always tried to come up with reasons to refuse to pay my hours, such as refusing to pay because I should have broken one session into two separate sessions, due to a change in venue, such as a phone call during a client’s drive, and then they met with me in person. However, if I did that, she would refuse to pay for the second session because it “looks wrong to insurance”.

It only took me about two weeks to start keeping my own detailed log of everything said verbally from my boss, of every second I spent with clients, and what we worked on, etc.  

Long story short, the boss kept skipping out hours on my pay checks and would pay me back on the next pay check, but never enough to quite pay off the balance, until I told her I was talking to the labor board…

Then she refused to issue three pay checks in a row and started writing me up for nonsense until she could “justify” firing me. In Idaho, when you’re fired, your boss has twenty-four hours to pay any lasting wages. If you quit, your boss has two weeks. So, I take it on the chin and take my office trinkets and leave, and start texting the boss.

Me: “So, when can I pick up the final pay check?”

Boss: *Text speak”* “idk yet, lol. How much do I owe you anyway?”

I run the numbers from the hour logging system that sent me emails weekly:

Me: “$6,400. If another check from you bounces again, I’m taking it to the cops. It’s a felony in Idaho to bounce a check.”

Boss: “No need to be so damn serious God wtf. Come in [two weeks from now].”

Me: “You’re supposed to have it by tomorrow.”

Boss: “Get it in two weeks or not at all.”

So, I’m dumb, and I wait two weeks. Obviously, on arrival, there’s no pay check waiting for me and the boss happens to never be in the office! And the boss is the only one who can write checks.

Via email to the boss, I explained what happened when I visited the workplace, listing the time and date I visited and demanding an immediate opportunity to get my money. 

I visited the labor board, but they basically told me they wouldn’t help because my boss claimed there were no owed wages to them, despite evidence from my pay stubs vs hour tracking software emails, so I began looking into lawyers.

Two months later:

Boss: “Are you gonna get your money yet? ;P”

Me: “Will it actually be there? And how much are the checks for?”

Boss: “I’m not sure, but they’re printed and waiting for you, so even if I’m not here, you can have them.”

Foolish me, I assume this is likely and go. Of course, no checks. I complained about this update in an email to my lawyer and sent her another email explaining that I found out she lied about the checks being available and that I am intending to take legal action, and she may be liable for three times the amount owed. This was her final chance. Suddenly, I am called by the Department of Labor!

DOL Agent: *Serious tone, like he thinks he’s the sheriff or an angry dad.* “Hi, I’m calling you because your former employer is claiming you’ve been harassing them, and they’ve asked us to represent them in a criminal case against you. Do you have anything to say to clear up this mess?”

Me: *Disgusted cough of a laugh.* “Yeah, they owe me $6,400 for months now. It’s not harassment when they owe me money, I haven’t threatened them, and I haven’t contacted them more than once per day. Will you make them pay me already?”

DOL Agent: *Cop wannabe ego audibly deflates.* “Oh… Uh… Yeah… I see this in the email you sent us months ago… Goodbye.”

A couple of weeks later, a different DOL Agent emails me and says he has my checks. So, I go in. The checks total to about $2,000; only about one-third of what they owe, leaving the total at $4,400. The DOL Agent explained that the DOL still can’t help me, but that they did send the details on to the police in case my former boss does go through with trying to press charges, this will be evidence against their claims, basically.

So… I f****** sued their a**es.

The evidence my ex-boss submitted to the judge, hilariously, indicated their own records believed they still owed me money, just not nearly as much as I claimed. My ex-boss’s husband lied under oath and screamed at me, his wife, and the judge, making a complete fool of himself.

Due to the amount of money owed, I had to move the case to a higher court, with permission of that judge, basically. And… They didn’t show up in court. I got a default judgment for $15,000 or so, including triple damages and other costs such as the lawyer.

The business shut down, and they tried to claim it was because of my lawsuit. The truth is, Idaho had just limited Peer Support hours coverage via Medicare, which was the highest value service at the business. They only had a therapist for less than four months in a year, just for show and legal requirements; my position only gave them a 2/3rd profit margin.

But hey… If they want to claim it was all my fault, I’ll take it. Since there was a default judgment in court, and the business wasn’t an LLC, that means I can go after their personal assets and garnish their personal wages at their future workplaces. It sucks when someone takes money out of your check, right? What’s good for the goose is good for the gander!

CORRECTION: A typo has been corrected.