Rescinded Job Offer 3 days before starting...

[Anonemous]

So my friend got a job offer in a new city. He even signed a lease and packed up to move. The job was supposed to start Monday but they got a call today that job offer was rescinded due to budget cuts. Is there any legal recourse in CA?

 

[Numenorean]

Unless there was something he signed probably not. If relocation expenses were supposed to be reimbursed, he might be able to get that, but....otherwise pretty much fucked. And that's also pretty much fucked up.

 

[sunzt]

Nope... that's life unfortunately...

 

[Tim]

Is your friends name Ben Dover?

 

[Anonemous]

According to him, he signed and agreed to the job offer before even planning the move. I guess companies can screw you either way. My question was why would the company even offer the position when they didn't have the budget for it. Don't they waste alot of resources interviewing candidates and flying them down for onsite interviews?

 

[Saint Nick]

That really is too bad. My girl had interviewed for a job with a company, but then got contacted that the job had been removed. Shitty, oh well.

 

[purbeast0]

same thing happened to my friend who was going t owork for my company. literally the day he was going to give his 2 weeks notice they contacted him and said that the funding had been cut for the position.

it was for a subcontractor position for a dod project.

 

[Blackjack200]

What industry does your friend work in? He might not have legal recourse, but I would give them hell about it.

 

[Malak]

I seen a similar situation where a guy actually started then got layed off. He was pretty pisses because they convinced him to move his family. When they tried to rehire him he said no, not sure how politely.

 

[Aikouka]

That's strange. In the defense world, typically you hear things like "contingent upon contract award" and such to mean, "if we lose, you lose your job offer." Was there any contingency spelled out in his job offer?

 

[PingSpike]

According to him, he signed and agreed to the job offer before even planning the move. I guess companies can screw you either way. My question was why would the company even offer the position when they didn't have the budget for it. Don't they waste alot of resources interviewing candidates and flying them down for onsite interviews?

I once got hired as a PC tech (this was maybe 10 years ago) and right after I started went to a couple meetings where they were basically saying they had no money. And then there was no work and they had me doing data entry. I got laid off after 4-5 weeks. What the fuck was I hired for in the first place? Some companies are just run by morons.

 

[Anonemous]

What industry does your friend work in? He might not have legal recourse, but I would give them hell about it.

Biotech Pharma, I don't know the details of the contract since I wasn't there and right now I don't want to ask him too many questions since he is very distraught. I think he turned down other offers for this position and to make matters worse he is unemployed at the moment.

 

[Lifted]

Is your friend out any money? Did they give notice & resign at a current job? Did they put money down on the new lease? Did they pay realtors, etc. for finding the new accommodations?

Your friend should talk to a lawyer if out any money on this. A job offer in writing is not a "well, if we still want you in a few weeks" piece of paper. It's a legally binding contract.

Cliffs: CALL A LAWYER.

 

[Macamus Prime]

Contact a lawyer.

For something that big of a commitment (moving), I would hope it was covered and noted in the contracts he signed.

 

[Aikouka]

Biotech Pharma, I don't know the details of the contract since I wasn't there and right now I don't want to ask him too many questions since he is very distraught.

Look at it this way... the point of asking him these questions is to help him... not just to find out how much the company screwed him over.

 

[JS80]

CA? Threaten to sue and they will offer money to go away. If they call your bluff there will be a line of labor lawyers who will write a very scary letter to the company.

 

[SearchMaster]

I doubt he has any real rights by the letter of the law but as JS80 said, if he raises enough stink and has enough threats they may pay him to go away (assuming they're not completely cash-strapped; in which case he's lucky to have dodged the bullet anyway).

 

[Nik]

What COULD he do? Force the company to hire him? Work for an employer who doesn't want to employ him? Yeah, that's got long-term written all over it.

 

[sunzt]

these things are happening a lot more lately to any job tied to a government contract due to budget cuts

 

[Krazy4Real]

Have him talk to a lawyer to at least get reimbursed for any fees for canceling the lease and stuff like that.

 

[CptObvious]

I remember reading a couple cases about it in law school (employment law isn't my specialty). Depending on the circumstances, your friend might be able to recover reliance damages based on promissory estoppel. Meaning, costs of moving, terminating the new lease and such. It's one of the reasons why places are more reluctant to hire people living out of the area. But if he signed a contract waiving any rights, he might be SOL. He should talk to an employment attorney about it.

 

[JS80]

I remember reading a couple cases about it in law school (employment law isn't my specialty). Depending on the circumstances, your friend might be able to recover reliance damages based on promissory estoppel. Meaning, costs of moving, terminating the new lease and such. It's one of the reasons why places are more reluctant to hire people living out of the area. But if he signed a contract waiving any rights, he might be SOL. He should talk to an employment attorney about it.

Cheaper to pay the couple grand to settle it than get lawyers involved. I bet they are just playing the numbers. If there are people who will bend over, then it's free. If someone raises a stink send them a check with a release contract. Cheaper than a $500/hr corporate attorney.

 

[Wyndru]

Shit that sucks. I had that happen to me and I was really pissed, but I was already unemployed and the job was local....I couldn't imagine moving to find out that they cut the position.

 

[BoomerD]

Shit happens. It sucks, but sometimes...that's life for ya.

30-odd years ago, the construction company I was working for offered me a job in Oklahoma. Didn't really want to go there, but the money was too good to refuse...so, I packed the family up and off we went.
We were in Denver when I called the guy who hired me for some information...and was told not to come...the project had been cancelled. <shrug>
Whatcha gonna do?

They offered to let me go back to the job I had just quit...which I did...but only temporarily, as that job was about to start winding down. Within a month, I had a different job.
They tried to get me to come back...and to go to Oklahoma once that job started, but I refused.

"There's an old saying in Tennessee &#8212; I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee &#8212; that says, fool me once, shame on &#8212; shame on you. Fool me &#8212; you can't get fooled again."

 

[CptObvious]

Cheaper to pay the couple grand to settle it than get lawyers involved. I bet they are just playing the numbers. If there are people who will bend over, then it's free. If someone raises a stink send them a check with a release contract. Cheaper than a $500/hr corporate attorney.

Maybe, but sometimes the difference between getting blown off and a settlement offer is having an attorney listed on the letterhead. Certainly he wouldn't hire some law firm partner to handle this case, it's something a 1st year associate could handle for a lot less.