History Main / NotInMyContract

-->Jon: You work for me and you've got a job to do!
-->Garfield: It's NotinMyContract(hands it to Jon), see Paragraph 2.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In "Sweets and Sour Marge", sugar was banned from Springfield and Homer went to na island. to get some from pirates. When the Captain tried to collect money for that, Homer fled while shouting it wasn't in the contract. The Captain then reread the contract and found out Homer was right. He then wondered who wrote that.

** Considering she then had to do BOTH (Radcliffe in DH Part 1, Grint in Part 2), this statement is HilariousInHindsight.

* Unionized employees occasionally pull this, but nowhere near as often as [[StrawmanPolitical Anti-Union Conservatives]] would imply.

Of course, all the feigned apathy tends to go out the window once he extorts a juicy pay raise or concession by haggling with his boss over a price for his new job duty.

* During an interview just after the release of the ''[[HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire Goblet of Fire]]'' film, Emma Watson was asked about the future possibility of making out with either Daniel Radcliffe or Rupert Grint onscreen. Her response: "Oh my God, no, no chance, no chance. That's not in my contract!"

* ''{{Alien}}''. The crew is woken up and told to check out a distress signal.

* ''{{Backdraft}}'': The scene takes place in a morgue.

-->'''Sheridan:''' "Paragraph 47, subsection 19, clause 9A, you can find it in the index under S.U.A.E.I."
-->'''Garibaldi:''' "S.U.A.E.I?"
-->'''Sheridan & Ivanova:''' "Shut Up And Eat It."

* In ''[[BabylonFive Babylon 5]]'', Michael Garibaldi invokes this trope while complaining about the restricted nature of the food available on the station, and why he spends a ''lot'' of his own money importing his own cuisine:

This [[StockPhrases Stock Phrase]] is something you'll hear said by a character who is motivated entirely by money. He isn't [[CombatSadomasochist doing it for the evil thrills]] or to find a WorthyOpponent, he just wants a paycheck and doesn't really care if it's [[PunchClockHero the good guys]] or [[PunchClockVillain the villains]] who pay. The character usually says this StockPhrase when his boss asks him to do something that is [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment not in his contract]], such as a fight during off hours, chasing ThePresidentsDaughter, or if he's moral enough, killing someone.

As such, this can be a form of ZerothLawRebellion for an {{evil minion|s}} who [[EvenEvilHasStandards has standards]] he won't cross. Or who is just too darn lazy to take initiative on things that, though not explicitly in his job description, would make his master's life much easier.

Compare AgainstMyReligion, JerkassGenie, RulesLawyer. If the dispute is a serious conflict over goals and methods rather than a petty squabble over duties and compensation, it's NotWhatISignedOnFor.

Compare NotWhatISignedOnFor, AgainstMyReligion, JerkassGenie, RulesLawyer.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* One of [[MadScientist Dr. Drakken's]] plans to defeat WesternAnimation/KimPossible is to create an army of clones. He initially wants to clone [[TheDragon Shego]], but she emphatically reminds him about the "no-cloning" clause in her contract. He tries to do it anyway, causing her to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere leave]] [[StatusQuoIsGod for the rest of the episode]].

On other occasions it may be phrased differently, such as a question about just where in the contract does it say that the character has to do something, or a clause that states the character can ''refuse'' to do something. Particularly amoral examples may rely on an ExactWords interpretation of their contract (''à la'' "You said I had to deliver the {{MacGuffin}}. You never said it had to be in one piece.")

[[AC:Film]]

[[AC:Tabletop Games]]

* Used in the TV version of StephenKing's ''TheStand'', when Dr. Dietz is explaining to Stu Redman that he doesn't have the superflu:

* One of [[MadScientist Dr. Drakken's]] plans to defeat KimPossible is to create an army of clones. He initially wants to clone [[TheDragon Shego]], but she emphatically reminds him about the "no-cloning" clause in her contract. He tries to do it anyway, causing her to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere leave]] [[StatusQuoIsGod for the rest of the episode]].

[[AC:Video Games]]
* In ''WorldOfWarcraft'', one of the vocal emotes a Warlock's imp will say when you order it to attack is "This was NOT IN MY CONTRACT!"

* One of [[MadScientist Dr. Drakken's]] plans to defeat KimPossible is to create an army of clones. He initially wants to clone [[TheDragon Shego]], but is stymied when she emphatically reminds him about the "no-cloning" clause in her contract.

Sometimes related to NotWhatISignedOnFor. Compare JerkassGenie and RulesLawyer.

-->'''Rimgale:''' ''(waves [=McCaffrey=] over toward a corpse) "[=McCaffrey=], come on over and give us a hand."

[[AC:Real Life]]
* During an interview just after the release of the ''[[HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire Goblet of Fire]]'' film, Emma Watson was asked about the future possibility of making out with either Daniel Radcliffe or Rupert Grint onscreen. Her response: "Oh my God, no, no chance, no chance. That's not in my contract!"

This [[StockPhrases Stock Phrase]] is something you'll hear a character who is motivated entirely by money say. He or she isn't [[CombatSadomasochist doing it for the evil thrills]] or to find a WorthyOpponent, they just want a paycheck and don't really care if it's [[PunchClockHero the good guys]] or [[PunchClockVillain the villains]] who pays. They usually say this StockPhrase when their boss asks them to do something that is [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment not in their contract]], such as a fight during off hours, chasing after ThePresidentsDaughter, or if they're moral enough, kill someone.

On other occasions it may be phrased differently, such as a question about just where in the contract does it say that the character has to do something, or a clause that states the character can ''refuse'' to do something. Particularly amoral examples may rely on an ExactWords interpretation of their contract (''a la'' "You said I had to deliver the {{Macguffin}}. You never said it had to be in one piece.")

As such, this can be a form of ZerothLawRebellion for an [[EvilMinions Evil Minion]] who [[EvenEvilHasStandards has standards]] they won't cross. Or who is just too darn lazy to take initiative on things that, though not explicitly in their job description, would make their boss' life much easier.

Of course, all the feigned apathy tends to go out the window once they extort a juicy pay raise or concession by haggling with their boss over a price for their new job duty.

* ''{{Alien}}''. The crew is woken up and told they have to check out a distress signal.

* ''{{Backdraft}}''. The scene takes place in a morgue.

* In ''MajorLeague'', prissy third-baseman Roger Dorn points out to Coach Lou Brown that his contract specifically says that he doesn't have to do calisthenics. In response, Brown literally pisses on Dorn's contract, then orders him to do the calisthenics.

* In the First Edition ''[[DungeonsAndDragons Dungeon Master's Guide]]'', it is stated that expert hirelings (like carpenters, miners, engineers, alchemists, and so on) will recognize when they're assigned to hazardous duty and demand up to thirty times their normal pay before they'll perform it.

[[AC:Television]]
* In one episode of ''WKRPInCincinnati'', Johnny Fever is asked to assist with a Public Service interview program. He loudly retorts with "I don't do Public Service... it's in my contract." When he's reminded that he doesn't have a contract, he responds, "Well, if I did have a contract, I'm sure that would be in there somewhere."

-->'''Dr. Dietz:''' "Um-hmm. Now, the virus your fellow townspeople contracted passes easily from human to guinea pig, and vice-versa, presumably. But Geraldo has been breathing your air, via convector, for the last three days. And Geraldo is fine and frisky, as you see. I'd call that rather comforting, wouldn't you?"
-->'''Stu Redman:''' (looks the doctor up and down, obviously taking in the isolation suit) "I see ''you're'' not taking any chances."
-->'''Dr. Dietz:''' "That's not in my contract."

[[AC:Video Games]]
* In ''WorldOfWarcraft'', one of the vocal emotes a Warlock's imp will say when you order it to attack is "This was NOT IN MY CONTRACT!"
* Unionized employees occasionally pull this, but nowhere near as often as [[StrawmanPolitical Anti-Union Conservatives]] would imply.

[[AC:Real Life]]
* During an interview just after the release of the ''[[HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire Goblet of Fire]]'' film, Emma Watson was asked about the future possibility of making out with either Daniel Radcliffe or Rupert Grint onscreen. Her response: "Oh my God, no, no chance, no chance. That's not in my contract!"