QUESTION
How do I take action against my employer for ripping up my contract?
Asked on May 14th, 2014 on Breach of Contract - Maryland
More details to this question:
I had signed a contract to work 40 hours a week for Salisbury University. Today, they took my contract and ripped it in half, then told me I had to sign a contract for 29 hours instead. This is terrible for me because I had to sign a contract to rent a room to live here and turned down another job to work here. It's only a week before my contract is supposed to start. Where can I begin to get retribution for this action? Is there any legal action I can take?
1 ANSWER
If the contract was valid before, ripping it up without your consent wouldn't change that. If the contract definitely gave you the right to work 40 hours a week for a definite period of time (i.e. if the employer did not have the right to terminate at the time it "ripped it up"), and assuming that you did not materially breach the contract before it was "ripped up", it is still enforceable even though in pieces (although more difficult to prove). If your employer does not allow you to work the contracted for 40 hours, you can sue it for breach of contract to recover any damages you suffer as a result. However, if you sign the 29 hour contract, you are likely to be barred from seeking to enforce the earlier one.
Answered on May 14th, 2014 at 6:47 PM