Relocation agreement

[jziegler]

I am in California. I moved here from another state to take a job on Oct 18, 2002. I had to sign a relocation agreement to get reimbusement. I signed the agreement on Oct 28, 2002, My Division Manager signed it on Nov 4, 2002, and the Sr. VP signed it on Nov 11, 2002.

The text of the agreement that I have a question about is as follows: "Furthermore, if I choose to teminate my employment by XXXXXXXX or any of its subsidiaries for any reason within six months of relocation, I authorize the compy to deduct the amount paid to me as a reimbursement for relocation from a final payment of all monies owed to me by the company"

My question is, when does this expire? Does the six month timer begin the day I started work, the day I signed it, the day my division manager signed it, or the day the VP signed it?

 

[I AM ALWAYS LIABLE]

I am in California. I moved here from another state to take a job on Oct 18, 2002. I had to sign a relocation agreement to get reimbusement. I signed the agreement on Oct 28, 2002, My Division Manager signed it on Nov 4, 2002, and the Sr. VP signed it on Nov 11, 2002.

The text of the agreement that I have a question about is as follows: "Furthermore, if I choose to teminate my employment by XXXXXXXX or any of its subsidiaries for any reason within six months of relocation, I authorize the compy to deduct the amount paid to me as a reimbursement for relocation from a final payment of all monies owed to me by the company"

My question is, when does this expire? Does the six month timer begin the day I started work, the day I signed it, the day my division manager signed it, or the day the VP signed it?

My response:

No. The way I read it, it begins "within six months of [the date of] relocation". Theoretically, you could "relocate" on March 1, 2003, but not begin work until March 15, 2003.

So, I would interpret the meaning of this paragraph to be the date they caused you to move to, and set foot in, the State of California with the purpose of making it your residence. The reason being that, but for this agreement, you would not have otherwise begun to reside in the great State of California.

However, due to the ambiguity and vagary of the agreement, and the inability to have one logical meaning, the contract would be interpreted in your favor because they wrote the agreement, and as long as any interpretation of yours could be logical, that logical interpretation would be the one any court would follow.

IAAL