I currently work at a SaaS company in sales and I am on a six month maternity leave. My current salary is $160k OTE, but I made over $285k last year due to overtime (yes, we are hourly), RSUs, achieving my annual quota and working my tail off. Once my maternity leave is up in June, I have no desire to return to my place of employment, so I have been interviewing for new sales roles in SaaS/consulting. The current offers I am receiving are around $270k-$300k+ with similar benefits.
Here is the kicker: my current place of employment states in their Employee Handbook, 'you must agree to reimburse if you voluntarily separate from employment within 90 days of the end of your Paid Parental Leave period.' I emailed HR asking about voluntarily departure once I return and they responded saying 'you could be requested to pay back the PPL amount' and 'they are unsure if it is always enforced.' If I return in June, that means I would have to work until mid-September to satisfy the 90 day period. After asking my lawyer friend on his view, he said they absolutely have the right to request payment, but I should not give in easily and he would help me craft a response. Also, I am paid 100% of my OTE for those 6 months; I am guessing payback would be around $70-$80k.
TL;DR I am on maternity leave, want to quit for a new position, but potentially would need to pay back the money I accrued on leave. WWYD?