QUESTION
Can a company request that I do work for them after my contract has ended?
Asked on May 06th, 2014 on Employment Contracts - New York
More details to this question:
I worked for a company for 6 months under contract. Since they abruptly ended my contract, they have been requesting that I give them files or clarify things I worked on when I was with them. Is this legal? I'll gladly return to them for pay, but is it legal for them to request work I completed after ending my contract? To clarify, I created some original artwork files for them and delivered a rendered version for their software. However, they asked me to provide the original files, which I did when I was working there. When they abruptly ended my contract, I could not provide any other files other than the ones I already gave them. However, they keep coming to me and asking for these files. Can I give them to them? Should I? Is it legal?
1 ANSWER
Anybody can request anything they want (leaving aside prostitution, narcotics, etc.), but whether you are obligated to comply without being further compensated depends on what your contract provides. If the contract is silent, the work you did while under contract probably belongs to the company; anything you did after you were terminated probably belongs to you. If you completed artwork after you were terminated, I would say that only the work you had done prior to termination must be returned. Whether you want to provide anything further is up to you. You may be within your legal rights to refuse, but you may want to do so to avoid creating ill will and burning your bridges.
Answered on May 06th, 2014 at 5:38 PM