Unless you had a written employment contract for a definite or defined term (e.g. a 1-year, 2-year, etc. contact) which had not expired and which, by its plain terms, guaranteed you severance in this situation, you are not entitled to it: in the absence of a contract, severance is purely voluntary on the part of an employer (e.g. they do *not* need to give it to employees being laid off) and so they could elect to not give you any under the circumstances.