So, like the title says, my ex-boss is suing me over an old unemployment case because he says that what happened is not the truth.
To provide some context, it was a small, family owned resturant in my town that is known for hiring just about anybody who asks, regardless of background. I was hired on just before the pandemic as a server and didn't know anything about how timecards work as it was my first real job.
Timekeeping was meant to be done by employees through their phones in order to keep track of the time that they spend on the clock and how much gross earnings they have pending, but I didn't have a phone at the time so one of the managers on duty would always handle my time FOR me. That's where things get a little hairy.
A while after I started working there, one of the managers started clocking people out a few minutes before the end of their designated shift, most of the time without asking first. They stated that it was done so that employees could leave as soon as their time came, assuming they already finished their duties. Sure, people complained a little to upper management but nothing was ever really done until I had a really bad week with that manager clocking me out greater than 2 hours early that pay week and finally told them to fuck off.
The next morning I called in to quit before the resturaunt opened and gave my reason, which they denied having happened. After that, I followed my mother's advice to file for unemployment and to just be truthful when I was asked any questions by the office. My ex-boss never answered any of the attempts to be reached for questioning so I won the case by default. Now, almost a year after the fact of the case, they are trying to sue me to overturn the unemployment and have me pay them back.
There are other workers who say that this happened the them while they worked out there but didn't know that there was anything wrong with the act so they didn't do anything with it. Is there anything I can do to prove that I WASN'T the one in charge of my time card as they are trying to imply?
TL;DR Boss clocked people out early and shaved hours on people's stubs, but as I'm the first to say anything, they're taking me to court. What to do?