Chapter 13 - The Lawsuit
Two weeks after I fired Richard, I got served.
The papers came on a Tuesday morning, delivered by a process server who caught me as I was walking into the office. Wrongful termination. Defamation. Intentional infliction of emotional distress. Richard was suing me for two point four million dollars.
I read the complaint in my office. His lawyer was a guy named Grisham — a real shark, the kind who advertises on billboards. The complaint painted Richard as a loyal employee, fired without cause, humiliated by a CEO who held a personal grudge. It said I'd created a hostile work environment. It said I'd defamed him to Diane Palmer. It said I'd cost him his marriage, his reputation, and his livelihood.
It was, in almost every particular, a lie. But lies cost money to defend.
Marcus came in, read it, and swore. "Two point four million. Dan, this is — we need to call our lawyers. This is going to cost us a fortune even if we win."
"I know." I set the complaint down. "Call Jensen & Hay. Tell them I want the best litigator they've got. And Marcus —"
"Yeah?"
"Don't tell Claire. Not yet. She's got a big pitch on Friday. I don't want this distracting her."
He looked at me. "Dan, she's your wife. She's going to find out."
"I know. But not yet. Let me handle this first."
He left. I sat there, staring at the complaint. I'd made a mistake — a real one. I'd hired Richard without a full background check. I'd put him on probation, but I hadn't documented the terms in writing. I'd fired him the day after his probation ended, which meant he was technically a full-time employee. Richard's lawyer would argue that I'd fired him without cause. And the truth was, I'd fired him because his wife told me he'd had an affair and lied about money — none of which was directly related to his job performance.
It was a real case. Not a strong one, but real. And it was going to cost us.
The lawyers called that afternoon. They wanted three hundred thousand dollars just to take the case to trial. Settlement range, they said, was probably two to three hundred thousand. Or we could fight — spend a million, win, and get nothing back.
I sat with it. I thought about Richard. About how desperate he must be — no job, divorce, child support for a two-year-old he'd never wanted. He was suing because he had nothing left.
That night, I didn't tell Claire. I kissed the kids goodnight. I watched a movie with them. I went to bed and stared at the ceiling. And I thought about what Lily had said — that I worked hard, that taking care of them was the most important work. And I thought about how I'd almost lost sight of that, chasing Richard's downfall like it was going to make me feel better.
It didn't. It just made me tired.
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