Was this a verbal contract that was breached?

Question

I recently had 2 interviews and was shown an office and introduced to everyone at the office and told to give my current employer my two weeks and that i would start today. The new company's hiring manager told me to let her know how it went giving my two weeks. I sent a text message to her and told her it went well. She never responded to that text. She told me she would be out of town for a couple weeks and to call her the morning of my start date to check what time I should come in to sign papers.

This morning i called and she didn't respond and i sent her a text message that she didn't respond to.

Then i got a phone call from her assistant saying they chose to go with a different candidate and they would send my resume to the la office that is opening up in a week.

WHAT SHOULD I DO? I QUIT MY JOB, I LOST MY CREDIBILITY AT MY PREVIOUS EMPLOYER, I REALLY BELIEVED I WAS GETTING THIS JOB, I TOLD EVERYONE, AND NOW I AM JOBLESS AND HUMILIATED.

HELP :(

Answer 1

A contract is a contract. An oral contract is a contract (subject to limitations on fraud). An implied contract is a contract. An oral offer that you accepted is a contract. An implied contract which you relied upon for your future, and for which you changed your position is a contract.

Your lawyer will tell you what information you need to put into the record as proof of the various elements necessary in your lawsuit. A smart HR person will want to settle this before the company name is damaged.

However, depending upon local laws, you may only get paid for the minimum amount of time they were required to employ you, because they could also have hired you, given you two weeks notice the day you started, and you would be in the same position as today.

Answer 2

Never, never, never, quit your job wiht a new job offer in writting.

But you know that now.

A verbal contract is only worth the paper it is written on.  

Answer 3

I definetely think you have some legal group for this. Try taking to a lawyer!

Answer 4

How terrible, you were led to believe the job was yours. Talk to a lawyer.  This is terrible.  But you don't really have a job unless you get in writing and you pass the orientation.  Most jobs like this have orientations where you fill out all work related forms.