Can I sue for unpaid wages if I didn’t fill out any paperwork regarding employment?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Can I sue for unpaid wages if I didn’t fill out any paperwork regarding employment?
I worked as an assistant coach this past season; I didn’t fill out any paperwork regarding employment until the end of the season. After I filled the application my fingerprint came back and showed a past shoplifting charge which I failed to disclose on my application, so now they don’t want to pay me for the coaching I did. Can I sue for the stipend I was owed?
Asked on December 22, 2011 under Employment Labor Law, California
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
They have to pay you for the work which you did. They can fire you afterwards--not only because the application apparently required you to divulge an criminal activity, which you did not, but also because unless you had an employment contract, you were an employee at will, and employees at will may be fired at any time, for any reason. But that is going forward; for work actually done, you must be paid per the terms under which you did that work.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.