Defendant's lawyer is demanding my work records — is this normal??

Yes, this happened to me almost exactly. I was terrified HR was going to freak out when the other side's lawyer contacted them. Honestly? HR treated it like a totally routine records request — apparently they deal with this kind of thing more than you'd think. My manager never even found out. Deep breath, it's probably not as big a deal as it feels right now.

This is really standard discovery stuff, especially when lost wages are part of your damages claim. The other side has a right to verify what you're claiming you lost. The good news is your attorney already did the right thing by narrowing the scope — unlimited employment history requests are common fishing expeditions and pushing back on them is totally normal. Make sure the release your attorney drafted has a defined scope written into it (specific time range, specific record types) so HR can't just hand over everything they have. If the release language feels vague, ask your attorney to spell it out more clearly before you sign.

They're going on a fishing trip, plain and simple. They want to find anything — an old written warning, a pattern of absences, ANYTHING — that lets them argue your time off wasn't really because of the accident. Don't sign anything without your lawyer reviewing every single word of that release. The scope your attorney negotiated is the ceiling, not a suggestion.

I'll be straight with you — from the insurance side, pulling employment records is almost always about poking holes in the lost wages number. If they can show you had attendance issues before the crash, or that you were already on reduced hours, they use that to lowball what they owe you. It's not personal, it's just how they build their defense. Your lawyer narrowing the scope was the right move. As long as the release is specific, you're not handing them a blank check.

The shoulder and whiplash piece matters here too — make sure your medical records clearly document how your injuries specifically affected your ability to work. I've seen cases where employment records actually help the injured person because they show a clear before-and-after difference in attendance. If your work history before the crash was solid and you only started missing time after, that actually supports your story.

Not legal advice, but generally speaking — employment record requests in injury cases with a lost wages component are routine discovery. The real issue is making sure the release is narrowly tailored. A properly scoped release should specify exactly what records types are included, the date range, and ideally that records go to your attorney first rather than directly to opposing counsel. If you haven't already, ask your lawyer explicitly how the records will be routed and whether you'll get a chance to review anything flagged as potentially sensitive.

I'd be freaked out too honestly. The idea of lawyers calling my HR department makes my stomach drop. But it sounds like your attorney is on top of it — that's literally what you're paying them for. Try to let them run interference on this one.

Sign the narrowed release, stop catastrophizing about HR, and focus on your case. If your lost wages claim is legit, the records will back you up. If you refuse to cooperate with discovery, it can actually hurt you with the court. Your lawyer already did the hard work limiting it — let it work.