The problem is, your husband voluntarily agreed to pay--he signed a promissory note for the money. If he had not done so, they could not require you to pay if he resigned after that critical one-year time period. But in voluntarily signing the note--and in the law's eyes, it *was* voluntary, since he could have freely refused to pay and they could have done nothing about that--he contractually obligated himself to pay. Therefore, the siging of the note very likely makes you responsible for the money, even though you would not otherwise have been.