Roll on Friday , fantastic, as always.
A Texas-based paralegal is set to become a legal legend after her former employer alleged that she refused to take part in team-building exercices, came in late, gave colleagues the silent treatment, ‘spent hours’ using a George Foreman grill, and hoarded groceries in a secret compartment in the office.
Linda Schreckenbach sued US law firm Callender Bowlin LLP for allegedly refusing to pay her overtime while requiring her to work more than 40 hours a week.
In its counterclaim the firm denied that she had to work that long and accussed the litigation paralegal of “strange behaviours”.
According to the counterclaim, Schreckenbach “refused to hold traditional working hours”, and “notoriously did not arrive to the office until 10 or 11am even though all other employees arrived by 9:00am”.
Her ex-firm has claimed that when she did show up, “she spent hours each day” in the office breakroom “cooking everything from flank steak on a George Foreman grill to smoothies in a full-sized blender”*.
Schreckenbach also had her Costco groceries delivered to the office and frequently brought her dogs in without permission, “which caused a disruption for several of the other employees”, claimed the firm.
It said that when Houston suffered a power cut in 2024 during a heat wave, Schreckenbach used the firm’s ice machine “to transport ice to her home for her dogs”, which sounds sensible but was apparently naughty.
The paralegal also allegedly “posted on TikTok that she was working hard preparing for trial when there were no cases going to trial”, “was not on speaking terms with the other paralegals” and “refused to participate in firm-wide, team building activities”.
In the ultimate diva move, Schreckenbach also allegedly “promoted herself to Senior Litigation Paralegal and began including that title on her email signature block”.
The firm said that when it fired Schreckenbach she posted on TikTok that “2 men [were] ganging up on me” and commented, “I wish I could have throat punched them but realized I didn’t have bail money…’
Callender Bowlin said that when it cleared out her office space it discovered that Schreckenbach “was hoarding groceries and other personal items in a hidden area behind her desk”.
The firm “is still uncovering the depths of plaintiff’s bizarre and nefarious behavior during her employment with Defendant”, it stated, alleging that Schreckenbach “unilaterally, and completely unbeknownst” to Callender Bowlin “forged signatures” on documents that were given to counsel in the course of her work.
Her lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
https://www.rollonfriday.com/news-content/paralegal-accused-spending-hours-grilling-steaks-office
