Ex-Employee Sued by Buc-ee’s for Breach of Employment Contract
Austin Oil and Gas Attorney, Gregory D. Jordan
Austin, TX (Law Firm Newswire) August 25, 2016 - A former assistant manager for a Texas convenience store is being sued by her ex-employer for leaving before her employment contract expired.
According to the lawsuit, Kelley Rieves started working for the Buc-ee’s store in Cypress, Texas as an assistant manager in 2009, signing employment contracts that ran through August 2013. However, Buc-ee’s claims that Rieves left the company in July 2012, with a year remaining on her contract. The company claimed that Rieves owed $67,720 in retention pay that was paid to her contingent on her completing her contract.
“Retention bonuses are not unusual and are a way for companies to invest in valuable employees,” said Gregory D. Jordan, an Austin employment attorney with the Law Offices of Gregory D. Jordan. “An employee who is considering signing a contract that contains a retention bonus should seriously consider having it reviewed by an attorney since there could be unexpected liabilities. Sometimes employees might be tempted to look at the bottom line number and not evaluate what will happen if circumstances with the employer change,” notes the Austin employment lawyer.
Rieves and Buc-ee’s filed suit against each other in the 165th State District Civil Court. A judge ruled that Rieves owes the company $100,000, including legal fees and interest. Buc-ee’s claims that Rieves’ contract divided her pay into normal pay and retention pay, and required her to give six months’ notice before leaving the company. The company said that when Rieves expressed a desire to leave, Buc-ee’s offered her a choice of accepting a loan to repay the retention bonus or having her new employer buy her out of the contract, but she left without making such arrangements.
Rieves said she does not have the money to repay Buc-ee’s. Her attorney said that according to Texas law, at-will employees cannot be prevented from leaving or be required to pay monetary penalties for doing so. Rieves is appealing the latest decision from the judge in her case.
Law Offices of Gregory D. Jordan
5608 Parkcrest Drive, Suite 310
Austin, Texas 78731
Call: 512-419-0684
- Texas Lawmakers Pass Law to Curtail Common Oil and Gas Scam Tactic
To some extent, the history of Texas is closely tied to the state’s historically ample supply of oil and gas. Texas has been at the forefront when it comes to establishing oil and gas laws throughout the country. Unfortunately, due to the value of the commodity, over the years, enterprising scammers have come up with [...] - Texas Court Holds Plaintiff Failed to “Pierce the Corporate Veil” of Employer
One of the primary factors business owners consider when choosing how to set up their company is how each type of structure will impact their personal liability, should the business fail, or incur sizable debt during its operation. Historically, there have been three main types of business organization structures: sole proprietorship, partnership and corporation. Sole [...] - Texas employees who are pregnant or recently returning from maternity leave are protected from employment discrimination
In 1964, the United States Congress passed the Civil Rights Act. The Civil Rights Act was a landmark piece of legislation that ended segregation of public places and banned discrimination based on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. The Civil Rights Act did much to combat the discrimination that was common [...]
Tags: attorney, Jordan, Kelley Rieves, Law Offices, lawyer, State District Civil Court
©2010-2018 Law Firm Newswire™ 
