What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? - New York
I was recently terminated from a large retail chain as a cashier for giving a $50 discount to a customer purchasing a $700 dollar item, when I was only authorized to give a $10 discount. I did not know the customer who received the discount. I took the additional $40 dollars off to rectify a complaint the customer had about not being able to use a particular coupon for a greater discount. I did this however without the authorization of a manager (It is a fairly common practice for managers to give discounts such as this to keep customers happy). In the meeting about this that lead to my termination, I made statements, written and oral, declaring as much.
In addition to this, I also signed two papers: 1. a civil demand notice which more or less says I admit to a misappropriation of funds, and 2. A promissory note stating the same and my agreement to pay the $40.
My question regards these two papers. I deeply regret signing them, as they indicate admission of theft. I feel that the action in question was the result of negligence, and grounds for termination, but NOT a theft. What recourse do I have, since I did sign them? Is this likely to lead to a civil or criminal claim by my former employer? And finally, what is the likelihood that this altercation will affect my future employment (background checks, government security clearances, etc). In other words, how much trouble has this caused me?
Thank you all for your responses
I was recently terminated from a large retail chain as a cashier for giving a $50 discount to a customer purchasing a $700 dollar item, when I was only authorized to give a $10 discount. I did not know the customer who received the discount. I took the additional $40 dollars off to rectify a complaint the customer had about not being able to use a particular coupon for a greater discount. I did this however without the authorization of a manager (It is a fairly common practice for managers to give discounts such as this to keep customers happy). In the meeting about this that lead to my termination, I made statements, written and oral, declaring as much.
In addition to this, I also signed two papers: 1. a civil demand notice which more or less says I admit to a misappropriation of funds, and 2. A promissory note stating the same and my agreement to pay the $40.
My question regards these two papers. I deeply regret signing them, as they indicate admission of theft. I feel that the action in question was the result of negligence, and grounds for termination, but NOT a theft. What recourse do I have, since I did sign them? Is this likely to lead to a civil or criminal claim by my former employer? And finally, what is the likelihood that this altercation will affect my future employment (background checks, government security clearances, etc). In other words, how much trouble has this caused me?
Thank you all for your responses