

Ask HN: Question about Contracts - justadev29

About 18 months ago I started working with a startup, I was 18 at the time.  I worked 80-100 hour weeks for no pay and no equity.  I signed a contract before I went to college in the fall saying that I was owed $10,000 and 10% of the profits in 2010 (due at the end of the year).  I ended up being paid the $10,000 about 8 months late.  This summer, I went back and was hired for $6,000 a month.  The company ended up making $1,000,000 with ~$400,000 in profit, and when, while in the process of leaving the company to return to school, I asked for the 10% of the profits, they claimed that the contract that I signed for the Summer contained a clause that superseded all previous contracts.  My question is, did I sign the previous contract under false pretenses, never intending to sign away my right to the 10% of the previous profits, and is that clause even legal in this case?<p>It's just incredibly frustrating as a college student who can't afford a lawyer to feel like other people made a ton of money off of my work (I was one of 2 developers, the other ended up leaving and suing for $130,000 for a similar amount of work) and I'm getting screwed.  Any help would be appreciated, thanks a lot.
======
mikey_p
I don't see how you have a choice to not hire a lawyer. It shouldn't cost more
than a couple of hundred dollars to find someone to read through the contracts
and tell you what they think, i.e. are you screwed or not.

If $40,000 dollars is at stake, a few hundred dollars is probably worth it to
get a professional opinion.

------
ALBsharah
I agree about the lawyer comment. At minimum, get an opinion. Secondarily, you
can also negotiate to pay only based on success. So, you don't pay unless you
win. It's a fairly common practice, expecially if you've got a good case.

Best of luck, AL

------
justadev29
I'm not sure if it's appropriate to ask personal questions like this, but I
don't have a ton of options, and I apologize if I offend anyone.

