The latest articles on DEV Community by Vladyslav Medvediev (@vladyslav_medvediev_e2bd2). https://dev.to/vladyslav_medvediev_e2bd2 https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4168596%2F770b7dc4-0020-4a3d-a09c-f4fee05e4be2.jpg https://dev.to/vladyslav_medvediev_e2bd2 en Vladyslav Medvediev Wed, 07 Oct 2026 10:37:07 +0000 https://dev.to/vladyslav_medvediev_e2bd2/your-contract-wont-save-you-seven-months-of-chasing-unpaid-wages-as-a-remote-developer-1bl https://dev.to/vladyslav_medvediev_e2bd2/your-contract-wont-save-you-seven-months-of-chasing-unpaid-wages-as-a-remote-developer-1bl <p>In January I was hired full-time as a frontend developer by Loxala Global Inc., a Delaware startup with a New York address. I worked almost two months. Seven months later, I still haven't been paid.</p> <p>I'm writing this here because I think a lot of developers, me included until this year, assume a signed contract is protection. It isn't, or at least not the kind you think.</p> <h2> What I have </h2> <ul> <li>A signed employment contract with a full e-signature audit trail. Clause 1.2 explicitly says I'm a full-time employee, not a contractor.</li> <li>An email from the company's own legal address stating it "constitutes a formal acknowledgment of debt," plus written confirmation of the amount.</li> <li>A Final Payment Agreement signed by the CEO, Hani Elgharabawi, on 18 September, acknowledging $5,465 and setting 6 October as the final date.</li> <li>Seven months of correspondence and a commit history in the company's repository.</li> </ul> <h2> What I got </h2> <p>Nine "final deadlines." A few, verbatim:</p> <blockquote> <p>"I will send $1250 tonight."</p> <p>"This is the final deadline, absolutely no further extensions, no excuses, and no more changes."</p> <p>"I have never denied this debt, and I am committed to fulfilling it."</p> </blockquote> <p>Total received in seven months: <strong>$644.92</strong>. On 6 October, instead of the payment, I got a request for one more extension.</p> <h2> Why the paperwork didn't help </h2> <p>Because the gap isn't in the documents. It's in enforcement.</p> <p>I'm in Portugal. The company is a Delaware corporation with a New York address that appears to be a virtual office. The amount, $5,465, is too large to walk away from and too small for most law firms to take. One has already declined.</p> <p>A contract protects you exactly as far as enforcing it costs less than what you're owed. Across borders, that maths rarely works.</p> <h2> What I'd do differently </h2> <ul> <li> <strong>Get paid early, and small.</strong> A short paid milestone before committing tells you more than any contract. Payment behaviour is the only real signal.</li> <li> <strong>A referral is not due diligence.</strong> Mine came from a client I trust completely, so I skipped checks I'd normally do.</li> <li> <strong>Read everything you're asked to sign, especially when you're tired.</strong> In April I was sent a "settlement agreement" that would have erased the debt and my right to pursue it, in exchange for nothing. I almost didn't read it closely.</li> <li> <strong>Know where the company and its people actually are</strong> before you start. If it goes wrong, who would you sue, where, and would it be worth it?</li> <li><strong>"It'll be sorted in two weeks" can repeat for seven months.</strong></li> </ul> <p>The full timeline, with screenshots of the documents, is on Medium: <a href="https://medium.com/@medvedev3678/your-contract-wont-save-you-what-seven-months-of-chasing-unpaid-wages-taught-me-a975870df438" rel="noopener noreferrer">Your Contract Won't Save You</a></p> <p>If you've been through something similar as a remote developer and actually got paid, I'd genuinely like to hear what worked.</p> career startup remote freelance