I spoke to an employment attorney yesterday regarding signing the agreement not to sue in exchange for getting the severance package. She said she has represented former BBB employees before, their employment attorneys are very savvy, and it's very unlikely there would be any serious grounds for a class action lawsuit related to this layoff. There's nothing illegal or fraudulent about them having planned this ahead of time. Obviously they did, this decision was made long before this week.
On the other hand, certain individuals might have grounds for a legal action, and most employee attorneys will give you an initial consultation at no charge. If you suspect you do, you should check with an attorney before you sign, but few of us will. Generally there's nothing illegal or fraudulent about a company laying off employees.
One more thing, the claims that the company is in financial trouble are bogus. The company is publicly held, and all the data is readily available. Sure, business is challenging, but BBB remains very profitable. Their business is changing, and that's what's driving the changes, one of which we just experienced. I'm trying not to take this personally, and I'm trying to keep a positive attitude. We all need to. Went on my first job interview this morning in a long long time.
This was posted by @OAgHmsQ-2azm. I hope they do not mind me bumping it up, but this is important info more people should see.