I was called into the back room, interrogated for over an hour and was then fired. I was accused of letting merchandise leave the store without payment. I was told to write a statement, the loss prevention officer fed me the words, and being scared and naïve (I was sure this was the only way to keep my job) I signed this paper. In it I never admitted to any wrong doing but said that I don’t know where the money went and that I would pay a sum the officer made up. There was no proof and no police involvement. I applied for unemployment and received it until I found new employment. My former employer appealed my benefits and they won because of this paper I signed. I have spoken with an attorney who says it would be too costly to fight unemployment but he would write a letter to the company hopefully stopping their pushing for restitution. I’m frustrated. I want the company to suffer like I am, is that unrealistic? Was the attorney on the right track? Is this all I can do? What does this whole mess mean to my employment future? Thank you.

