ragukripali
Registered Users (C)
----------The case-----
I was interviewed in Toronto by an company from New Jersey by the name of "Software Research Group" (SRG) on the 17th of December, 2005. I was offered a position on the spot for 45000$. At that time, I was unemployed and was looking for work; I accepted.
I came from Canada on Jan-14-2006 on a TN1 (NAFTA) status through them. After coming to the US SRG made me to sign a contract stating that i would work with him for a period of at least 1 year, also would not join any vendors or clients introduced by the company, otherwise i would pay upto $25000 in damages.
SRG had offered me a very low salary of just $45000, even though I am holding two degrees and also have good experience from Canada. Moreover SRG didn't start paying me any salary till Feb-16-2006. Feb 16 was the date I started working for a client "Fannie Mae" in Washington DC. In this assignment, I worked at Fannie Mae site through another vendor company as an SRG's employee.
I started working in DC for these unacceptable wages, and I was not even able to meet my expenses. One day at work, I saw my Purchase order for 84$ an hour. Taking so much money for my services and paying me 45K was not acceptable. I contacted the employer for a raise, but that was no vain. I sent a resignation letter on May 7th, giving one month notice to the company CEO and left the company on June 7, 2006. The other vendor company who I was working through in my assignment, offered me to join. I joined the vendor company.
The CEO never replied to my resignation letter. Although they knew that I had left. SRG did not even pay me for the last 7 days. After 5 months of leaving company, SRG realized that I was working with the same vendor, and they sent me an email to come back and work through them otherwise the company will take legal action. My vendor company contacted SRG and told them to not to bother their employee.
I thought that this was the end of SRG's issue. But unfortunately not. I finished my assignment with Fannie Mae recently in May 2007. I left the vendor company, and started another consulting assignment in Washington DC with another employer. Its been almost a year that I have left SRG, and today I learnt from my relative in Maryland that there have been summons sent in my name from SRG (Received on April 27, 2007). I viewed the summons and they are suing for breach of contract since I left the company before a period of one year.
The last communication from SRG was a W2, which I received in January of 2007; SRG has my updated address in Virginia on which the W2 was sent and that was where they also sent paystubs. But the summons were sent to a MD address, on which I never lived. I wouldn't even have know about these
summons, if the people residing there were my relatives.
Should I even acknowledge receiving the summons? For the case to proceed shouldn't the summons be sent to my correct address? Can I ignore these? Can you give me advice on how to handle this. What can I do to handle this for now?
Thanks
Ragu
p.s: Also some more information, on how this has affected me:
They gave us the contract to sign when we have made the leap from Canada to come to New Jersey. At that time, you pretty much will sign anything. It was very stressful to sign a contract heavily favoring the employer at that time, but I had no choice.
They treated me very badly and gave a lot of emotional stress keeping me in small guest room making me share a single room by three/four people.
They did not pay me for one and half month when I moved from Canada to NJ.
They did not pay me for the last 7 days of work.
Every month end they did not pay; it would require numerous days and many emails back n forth to get payroll sorted out every month. I have record of this - once even the CFO apologized for it in the email. I am family man and getting not paid on time is very stressful.
I was interviewed in Toronto by an company from New Jersey by the name of "Software Research Group" (SRG) on the 17th of December, 2005. I was offered a position on the spot for 45000$. At that time, I was unemployed and was looking for work; I accepted.
I came from Canada on Jan-14-2006 on a TN1 (NAFTA) status through them. After coming to the US SRG made me to sign a contract stating that i would work with him for a period of at least 1 year, also would not join any vendors or clients introduced by the company, otherwise i would pay upto $25000 in damages.
SRG had offered me a very low salary of just $45000, even though I am holding two degrees and also have good experience from Canada. Moreover SRG didn't start paying me any salary till Feb-16-2006. Feb 16 was the date I started working for a client "Fannie Mae" in Washington DC. In this assignment, I worked at Fannie Mae site through another vendor company as an SRG's employee.
I started working in DC for these unacceptable wages, and I was not even able to meet my expenses. One day at work, I saw my Purchase order for 84$ an hour. Taking so much money for my services and paying me 45K was not acceptable. I contacted the employer for a raise, but that was no vain. I sent a resignation letter on May 7th, giving one month notice to the company CEO and left the company on June 7, 2006. The other vendor company who I was working through in my assignment, offered me to join. I joined the vendor company.
The CEO never replied to my resignation letter. Although they knew that I had left. SRG did not even pay me for the last 7 days. After 5 months of leaving company, SRG realized that I was working with the same vendor, and they sent me an email to come back and work through them otherwise the company will take legal action. My vendor company contacted SRG and told them to not to bother their employee.
I thought that this was the end of SRG's issue. But unfortunately not. I finished my assignment with Fannie Mae recently in May 2007. I left the vendor company, and started another consulting assignment in Washington DC with another employer. Its been almost a year that I have left SRG, and today I learnt from my relative in Maryland that there have been summons sent in my name from SRG (Received on April 27, 2007). I viewed the summons and they are suing for breach of contract since I left the company before a period of one year.
The last communication from SRG was a W2, which I received in January of 2007; SRG has my updated address in Virginia on which the W2 was sent and that was where they also sent paystubs. But the summons were sent to a MD address, on which I never lived. I wouldn't even have know about these
summons, if the people residing there were my relatives.
Should I even acknowledge receiving the summons? For the case to proceed shouldn't the summons be sent to my correct address? Can I ignore these? Can you give me advice on how to handle this. What can I do to handle this for now?
Thanks
Ragu
p.s: Also some more information, on how this has affected me:
They gave us the contract to sign when we have made the leap from Canada to come to New Jersey. At that time, you pretty much will sign anything. It was very stressful to sign a contract heavily favoring the employer at that time, but I had no choice.
They treated me very badly and gave a lot of emotional stress keeping me in small guest room making me share a single room by three/four people.
They did not pay me for one and half month when I moved from Canada to NJ.
They did not pay me for the last 7 days of work.
Every month end they did not pay; it would require numerous days and many emails back n forth to get payroll sorted out every month. I have record of this - once even the CFO apologized for it in the email. I am family man and getting not paid on time is very stressful.