If I was a 1099 employee with a year long contract but it was abruptly ended after 3 weeks for no reason, can I do anything?

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If I was a 1099 employee with a year long contract but it was abruptly ended after 3 weeks for no reason, can I do anything?

I left a stable job where I had been for over a year for a better paying opportunity. The hiring process was 2 months long and the recruiting agency assured me that this is a long term position and they wanted someone for the long haul. I quit my stable job and accepted the offer. 3 weeks in the company changes their mind and says they no longer wanted to pursue an expansion and I would be let go. Since then I have been unemployed and are not eligible for unemployment benefits and have been deemed

non-hirable by hiring agencies. Is there any legal recourse I can take against the recruiting agency or company that essentially ruined my career because I cannot get hired anywhere.

Asked on December 13, 2016 under Employment Labor Law, California

Answers:

SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 7 years ago | Contributor

It depends on whether you had an actual written contract guarantying you the employment, such as for a year--which contract did not have any limitations, exceptions, caveats, etc. limiting its enforceability or allowing them to terminate it early--or not. If you had such a contract and it has been violated, you could sue for breach of contract to enforce it in court. 
But if you did not have such a written, clear contract unequivocally guarantying you employment, which contract has been violated or breached, then you most likely have nothing you can do. Employment in this country, except to the extent changed by an employment contract, is always employment at will. This means, among other things, that we always take jobs knowing we could be terminated at any time, for any reason; there is no guaranty of employment in  this country except when you have a contract.


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