Originally Posted by mike734
No they can't collect for lost profits. Come on! In all practical matter, this will be negotiated away. No airline wants to devote the resources to FIND you, sue you and try to collect from you. They have no power to collect from your wages. They will probably withhold from your last paycheck (illegally) and you will have to sue them to see that money.
You need to do some real research on your rights when you owe someone. It is much harder to collect than you believe. Also I don't believe your contract is legal because of "consideration." Look it up because I don't really know what I talking about here. I just would be surprised if these types of contracts are enforceable.
Ok, felt compelled to reply to this...Actually, if they were to take you to court, and (stressing AND) they were able to get a judgment, they would then have the "power" to collect a.k.a. garnish your future earnings at another employer. A judgment is judicial confirmation of a debt owed, and as a little added salt in the open wound, may actually be able to charge interest on the amount of the judgment. This is to say nothing of a award for his legal fees, time etc.... And of course, he has the Constitutional right to the venue of court and the judgment of 13 of your peers or a Judge.
Now that said, I'm not entirely sure weather or not your CP has been granted the province of being able to speak on behalf of your company with regard to contractual matters. I realize that as a general rule they are, however that may not be the case here. I might try the following, approach someone in the HR department at your company and present them, unemotionally, with your situation. Reiterate to them what your CP said and convey the threats that he ran past you, and see what the response is. Your cat is out of the bag anyway, and most HR types are sympathetic to those who give appropriate notice when seeking bigger and better. See where this leads you, and let us know, should you opt to explore this route.
And again, not to scare the living bejesus out of you, but you need to make sure your six is well covered when dealing with this type of stuff. Pi**ed off people have a nasty habit of having long memories. Should they take you to court and win a judgment, without the ability to pay immediately and absent a well negotiated lower, more affordable amount, an uncollected judgment can follow you around for a LONG, LONG time, biting you when you least expect it.