Monday, April 5, 2021
Are the terms of an offer letter enforceable? If the offer is accepted, the answer is usually a resounding “yes,” even if the employment offered is only at-will
. See, e.g.,
Hooker v. Trusted Life Care, Inc., et al., No. 07-0174C, 2009 WL 839094, 6 (Mass. Super. Mar. 11, 2009) (an employer whose offer of employment was signed and accepted had a contractual obligation to allow the employee to begin employment, even if such employment could be terminated immediately). Needless to say, once employment is begun, protections, such as severance upon termination without cause, are triggered.
Recently, however, another case has been decided which provides a primer on potential pitfalls for executives switching jobs in uncertain times. In