Employer Reneged on Job Offer

[Julia_Espada]

Hello - My husband is a horse trainer and recently he was contacted by a client of his who needed help on their farm as a head groom. He told them he would gladly work for them if they would have him. They asked him for an "interview" this past Tuesday and he went and they offered him the job, salary as well as housing. On Wednesday the client called my husband to let him know that she was extremely excited for him to be coming to work for her and that everyone she had spoken to had nothing but good things to say about him. My husband quit all of his other work in order to take this job and today they called us to tell us that they were taking their offer back. That they had spoken to references and were told that people didn't like the way we took care of horses. This was strange because we never provided any references, nor were we asked for any. Strange because all of our clients have been extremely happy with us.
What grounds do I have to sue these people? They have caused my family a lot of stress and a lot of heart ache as my husband was very happy to be going to work seeing as we are in a very hard spot financially. We even started steps to close our business as this is a very hard time to be in the horse business.
Please advise...we are in a very tough position.

 

[army judge]

It is all but impossible to prevail in lawsuits where a potential employer withdraws the offer prior to beginning employment. It is impossible if you have none of this in writing.

I suggest you speak with a couple if local attorneys. Don't get your hopes up, however. The initial consultations are free and should be very informative.

Bottom line, I'm sorry to hear of this problem. I'm even sorrier in that I see no legal solution on which you can receive compensation.

You should Google "detrimental reliance". Again, in employment situations it is rare that the injured potential employee prevails. If you have a remedy it lies in contract law. But, without a written contract, that is very unlikely.

 

[guestposter]

You need a job offer in writing (a reasonably worded email is usually sufficient).
You need the employer to either state a minimum length of employment or that the offer will not be withdrawn for reasons not pertaining to background checks and/or references. The majority of employers will consent to this via email IF YOU ASK THEM, especially if you are giving notice to a current employer. They don't have to include all the relevant info in a single written offer; they can provide additional guarantees in separate emails after providing you with an initial offer.
Actual damages help immensely, if you also meet the two requirements above. The best examples of actual damages are lost income from giving notice to your current employer and moving expenses.

Employers are typically more willing to provide necessary details in situations involving giving notice or moving expenses, the trick is just to ask.

 

[cbg]

And you need to check the dates before you post and see that this thread is from more than 18 months ago.