The Law at Work: Right to Severance Pay Depends on Contract
In his The Law at Work column in the San Diego Union-Tribune, Shareholder Dan Eaton examines the firing of former CBS President Les Moonves and how according to his contract he may receive a $120 million severance. The fact that Moonves even potentially has the contractual right to severance pay makes him better off than the vast majority of employees. At termination, an at-will employee is entitled to all wages, including the value of earned but unused vacation at the employee’s final rate of pay. But an at-will employee has no right to severance pay. At-will employees generally receive severance payments only in exchange for signing an agreement releasing their employer from most employment-related claims.
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