<prompt> Human: Ill try to make this brief. I am currently a college student. I was working at a small startup website as a writer which operated on campus in a rental coworking space. I was very dissatisfied with my work for reasons which I will not elaborate upon, and I quit rather abruptly. Now, my former employer will not mail me my final paycheck, I am owed about 500; this is a lot for a college student. Upon emailing the employer as to when the check would be received, they alerted me they were missing a transcription I had completed and would not pay me until the transcription was found. This seems..sketchy to me? Is this really legal? The work was completed, in my mind, I should not be held responsible for my employer losing my work. I must also stress no formal contract was signed, simply an NDA. I was working as a sort of consultant. What steps should I take?  <response>: Nope, they cant do that. You can file a wage claim with your state labor agency. 