[faboo]

I don't think you'd easily win the argument, unless the parties involved generally didn't sign non-disparagement agreements.

I was once laid off from a company that gave me a small (but significant to me) severance check in exchange for signing a non-disparagement agreement. I did jokingly refer to that check as my "hush money", but I had no actual issue with the company or any of my former coworkers. That company did it simply as a matter of course, I imagine to make the laying off process more predictable.

(And I was pretty appreciative of the check itself; between it and my left over vacation days, I made it pretty comfortably to my next position.)