See Me(116)

For the first time, even Barney wasn’t sure what to say. He looked from Jill to Maria and back to Jill. “Did you say you’re both leaving the firm?”

“Yes.”

“Where will you be working?”

“That’s not the issue we’re discussing. Right now, we’re talking about the lawsuit Maria intends to file. We all know that the allegations being made by Lynn and the others are serious, and can you imagine how much more heft their cases will have when Maria comes forward as well?”

“But I didn’t do anything,” Ken mumbled. Barney merely glared at him.

“Do you think anyone will believe that? After everything the others say in court? But of course, it won’t get that far. Everyone in this room knows that you’re going to settle. These cases are almost always settled. I’m not sure I can say the same for Maria. She was pretty upset when she spoke with me. Though I won’t be her counsel on this case, my suspicion is that she may elect to take this as far as it can go.”

Barney straightened his jacket. “I’m assuming that you’re here not simply to inform us in advance that you’re going to file or that you’re leaving. I assume you’re here because you would like to resolve this matter.”

“Why would you think that?”

“There is nothing to be gained by telling us in advance that you intend to make a report with the EEOC.”

“Maybe I just felt a remaining bit of loyalty to the firm.”

“Perhaps.”

“Or maybe I just wanted Ken to know that in addition to ruining the firm and having his savings wiped out, he’s probably going to have to sell that ridiculous car of his by the time Maria is through with him.”

Ken moaned ever so slightly. Barney ignored it.

“How can we resolve this?”

“For starters, Maria wants six weeks of vacation this year.”

“Why would she want six weeks’ vacation when she’s planning on leaving?”

“Because it’s on her bucket list. Because Ken is an ass. Because yesterday, she saw a rainbow when she was walking by a yard with the sprinklers on. Because Maria had to work evenings and weekends because of you and so she hasn’t had a day off since she’s been here. My point is, it doesn’t matter why she wants it. She does, and that’s that.”

“First-year employees are only entitled to a week.”

“Then make an exception. Paid vacation, mind you, which will be added to her final check.”

Ken was about to say something, but Barney held up his hand to stop him. “Anything else?”

“Yes. As far as a two-week notice goes? That’s out. Today is Maria’s last day and she won’t be coming back. She gets paid for these two weeks as well.”

Barney looked like he had eaten something unpleasant. “Is that all? Two months’ salary?”

“Not quite. For her mental suffering, she needs a bonus. Let’s make it… three additional months’ salary on top of those two months.”

Barney was quiet. “And in exchange for that?”

“I’ll have to talk it over with her, but I’m fairly certain you’ll never hear anything from her about any of Ken’s deviant behavior. No reports, no lawsuits. Just over and done and we’ll go our own separate ways.”

Barney was quiet, probably debating how serious Maria might be about all of this. Jill, however, knew exactly what he was thinking.

“She’s not bluffing, Barney. You know how Ken is. You know what he’s done to others and you also know that he sexually harassed Maria. More than that, you know we’re not talking about a lot of money here. Essentially, she’s offering you a gift because as much as she despises Ken, she has great respect for you.”

“And the affidavit?”

“Don’t even go there,” Jill warned. “Maria is not going to lie. However, she won’t sign an affidavit as to what actually happened. It’ll just be forgotten.”

“And if she’s deposed by the other litigants?”

“She’ll be on the planet Jupiter by then, so there’s no reason to worry.”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh.” She smiled. “Sorry. I thought we’d detoured into fantasy land.”

“Fantasy?”

“You and I both know she won’t get deposed because you’re not going to let it get that far. You’ll end up settling. You have to, or it’s going to cost you a fortune, even if you win.”

Barney glanced at Ken, then back to Jill. “May I ask what your demands are? Since you’ll be leaving the firm as well?”

“Only one, and it’s not about money,” Jill answered. “In exchange, I’ll finish out the next couple of weeks here just as I planned to do, work with the partners to make sure any of my clients barely notice the transition, and after that, I’ll move on.”

“What’s the one demand?”

“I’d like you to throw me a small going-away party here at the office. Nothing fancy – just a cake at lunch or whatever – but I’d like the chance to say good-bye to everyone in one fell swoop. Obviously, until then, I think we all know it would be best to keep our departure as quiet as possible. The other partners have to know, but I don’t want to start a stampede of employees racing for the exits. Believe it or not, I hope you get this settled and are able to put it behind you as quickly and quietly as possible. There are a lot of good people here.”