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When A Couple Of Words Make A $2.6 Million Difference

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep. A Michigan man was laid off from his job and then thought he got a windfall. The company told him his severance pay would be $81,000 per week for 34 weeks. That's $2.7 million. Francois El-Hayek said it seemed fair, since he worked there for decades. Later the company said it was a mistake. It's just $81,000 over 34 weeks. He sued to make Trico Products keep the original promise. He lost but almost had revenge. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.