[greenyoda]

To get reliable legal advice, you should be asking a lawyer, not random people on HN.

[gnicholas]

There are lawyers on HN, and to the extent they can help OP ask the right questions, it could help keep the legal costs down.

[drewcoo]

To lower legal costs, ask an Internet forum of randos, including possibly lawyers?

That's terrible advice.

[gnicholas]

It wouldn't be what I would do, but then again I'm a former lawyer with many friends who are lawyers. But if the best OP can do is get some preliminary advice from Hacker News, it's worth giving it a shot.

What would you suggest OP do instead of asking HN?

[barkingcat]

If you are a former lawyer, what would you advise OP to do?

[ta2234234242]

If I were a former lawyer, I wouldn't give any advice other than general knowledge.

e.g.

"Could you sue on behalf of the shareholders of your CEO's embezzlement and win? Maybe? Should you? I don't know, I'm not your attorney, and I haven't studied any of your claims."

That's about as worthless as it gets.

[gnicholas]

It doesn't take a lawyer to know that a shareholder lawsuit to recover 13 weeks of pay is not going to make financial sense.

[gnicholas]

See my questions and comments below.

[Fire-Dragon-DoL]

Given that alternative, which is leaving the money to the CEO, I agree with OP's approach.