My question involves labor and employment law for the state of: IL
(I currently work in Arkansas, but the company is headquartered in IL.)
I'm planning on resigning from a company I've been working with for a few months (5 months). The only document I ever signed was the initial offer letter, which stipulated that I pay back the joining bonus if I leave before 12 months, which is fair, and what I plan to do. However, in that document there is no mention of paying back the initial relocation reimbursements they gave me. I've checked other company documents for relocations, and they mention paying back relocation expenses if I leave before 12 months after a relocation. (The company has relocated me once since the original move, and I plan on paying back those expenses if needed.)
My question is, if the company asks for the initial relocation expenses back, could I justifiably refuse them? As I said before, the initial offer letter is the only document I have ever signed, and it never stipulated that I need to repay relocation if I left before a year, only the bonus. The only other mention of the initial relocation I received was via e-mail, and that was simply the amount, with no terms or obligations attached.
Second, I'm a bit confused by the wording of my contract (shown below). Does payment in lieu thereof mean that instead of giving 30 days notice, I could pay some penalty and leave immediately?
Also, is the one month notice enforceable? I'm already paying back the bonus as stipulated, can they really do anything to me if I quit before the notice period is over?Termination at will: This Contract may be terminated by either the Company or you
without cause by serving a written notice of such termination 30 days prior to the date of
termination or payment in lieu thereof. In the event of termination by the employee
without notice or payment in lieu thereof, the Company shall be entitled to recover all
costs and expenses incurred in enforcing this Contract including attorney’s fees and other
reasonable expenditure

