Bad Recommendation

I interviewed for a new position with a new employer. I thought the interview went very well. My previous employer gave me a bad recommendation and told things that were not even true. What actions do I need to take to make sure that this does not happen again?

I believe that in many states former employers are liable for giving bad recommendations. In general it's bad policy for employers to say anything negative about a former employee, regardless of whether it is true. At most an employer who doesn't want to give a positive reference should just refuse to comment and give the basics, dates employed, position, etc...

However many employers do not realize this.

If what was said was negative, and especially if it wasn't true, you may have a case. You need to talk to an employment lawyer in your state to figure out if you have a case under your exact fact pattern. www.legalmatch.com is a good place to find a good employment lawyer and have them review the facts of your case in more detail then we can here.

This article may be of interest to you:

http://www.legalmatch.com/law-librar...liability.html

After an investigation of the allegations, and obtaining a "Right to Sue" letter from your States' Department of Labor, you may sue by asserting defamation causes of action, among other causes of action, against the former employer based on the false statements by the employer at the time of your postemployment references. Such statements may be shown to have damaged your reputation, making re-employment difficult.