I'm not so sure about that - you can still sue for discrimination even if you sign a employment release waiver and/or NDA, even after accepting any severance pa

I'm not so sure about that - you can still sue for discrimination even if you sign a employment release waiver and/or NDA, even after accepting any severance pay. Severance packages that large are common for execs, or multi-plant managers as you put it. Likewise, signing these types of releases are common for most public corp lay-offs, and are not evidence of anything nefarious. I would also say that rumors are not a certainty either, in fact, I would argue that the game of telephone gives rise to biases, not the opposite.