EDD appeal hearing after employer falsified my resignation letter - need urgent advice

Deep breath - you actually have a strong case here. The EDD judge will be looking for evidence on both sides. Bring ALL of the following to your hearing: 1) Copy of your original resignation letter (hopefully you kept one), 2) Any emails/texts showing the pressure to rewrite it, 3) Documentation of the inventory reporting you did, 4) Any witnesses who can verify your story, 5) Any performance reviews from before the retaliation started, and 6) A timeline of events showing the change in treatment after your report. Appeals judges see employer fraud more often than you'd think, and they take it VERY seriously.

not to be negative but this is why you should ALWAYS keep copies of EVERYTHING when you leave a job. i got screwed in a similar way back in 2020... told me one thing to my face but then told edd something totally different. edd tends to believe employers over employees without solid proof. good luck

This exact same thing happened to my sister!! Her boss added a whole paragraph to her resignation letter saying she was leaving for 'family reasons' when she was actually quitting because her manager was sexually harassing her. She had to appeal too and was SUPER stressed. The key thing that helped her win was bringing an outline of specific dates/events to the hearing - like a bullet list of every time her boss did something inappropriate, with dates & details. The judge in her case actually stopped the employer mid-testimony when they caught them in a lie! So definitely create a detailed timeline of everything that happened.

Based on what you're describing, you're dealing with what EDD calls a "voluntary quit with good cause" situation, which is different from misconduct or a typical resignation. When an employer creates a hostile work environment, that can constitute "good cause" even if you technically resigned. Since you mentioned the appeal hearing is in 12 days, I strongly recommend trying to reach an EDD representative ASAP to discuss your specific case details and get guidance on how to present your evidence. Many people struggle to get through to EDD though - I had to call 47 times in one day last year when dealing with my appeal. I recently discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you get through to an actual EDD representative quickly instead of calling repeatedly. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km. A friend used it last month for his appeal preparation and said the EDD rep gave him specific guidance that made all the difference in his hearing.

wait so did u even QUALIFY for benefits after quitting? or is that what ur fighting for? im confused about the timeline here

I had something similar happen when I left my job at a restaurant chain last year. My manager altered my exit paperwork after I signed it. THE SYSTEM IS RIGGED AGAINST WORKERS!!! These big companies have HR departments and lawyers, while we're just trying to navigate this complicated process alone! And EDD makes everything 10x harder with their stupid confusing forms and impossible-to-reach phone lines. It's INFURIATING!! They're hoping you just give up because the process is so difficult. One thing that helped me: I recorded a timeline video on my phone right after quitting where I explained everything that happened while it was fresh in my mind. I was able to play parts of this during my hearing and the judge was impressed that I had contemporaneous evidence. Even though I didn't have all the paperwork, that video was SUPER convincing because it was recorded before I even knew I'd need to appeal.

One more important tip: During the appeal hearing, stay extremely calm and professional, no matter how much the employer's representative lies or tries to provoke you. The judges are skilled at reading people and situations, but emotional outbursts can undermine your credibility. Let the evidence speak for itself, answer questions directly and honestly, and don't interrupt even when you hear blatant falsehoods. You'll have your chance to present your side. Also, make sure to specifically tell the judge that you had "good cause" to voluntarily quit - those exact words are important in EDD terminology. Explain that you attempted to resolve the hostile workplace issues by reporting them up the chain before quitting, which shows you tried reasonable alternatives before leaving (another key element judges look for).

just curious wht kind of job was this? retail? office? factory? different industries have different standards for what counts as "hostile" so it might matter

On the day of your hearing, arrive early (at least 30 minutes), dress professionally, and bring multiple copies of all your evidence (one for you, one for the judge, and one for the employer's representative). Also, as stressful as it may be, try to get a good night's sleep beforehand so you can think clearly. Finally, don't be afraid to respectfully ask the judge for clarification if you don't understand a question. And remember that if the employer doesn't show up for the hearing (which happens quite often), that significantly increases your chances of winning as long as you can articulate your case clearly.