I’m sure that some of the posts are true and that Citi is dragging their feet on paying out on severance or pending benefits. Hoping that frustration will cause a person to take just any job at a much lower wage or just drop it. Once a job is accepted the severance stops if it even started at all.
First know your rights and don’t be afraid to sue should the situation call for it. There are a ton of lawyers out there who would love to make a name for themselves on taking on a big company. Many will take a lawsuit on contingency if the claim has great merit. Contingency meaning that they will forego legal fees unless the case is won.
If you do go this route, don’t sue for just severance owed but also sue for mental stress of having to deal with the hassle in addition to adding on legal fees. So severance+mental stress+legal fees. A good lawyer will factor all this in and don’t be afraid to go public.
I’m sure at the reading of this post HR is going nuts even though there is nothing wrong or illegal or unethical to suggest that someone should sue should Citi themselves be found negligent on such matters.