Legal Question in Employment Law in Tennessee
I am a RN and I resigned from the local hospital. Every time I go to apply at another business they act as if they are going to hire me until they call my former employer and then I never get the job. I fear they are telling lies to my potential new employers that keep them from hiring me. What recourse do I have?
1 Answer from Attorneys
The first thing you need to do is determine if they are giving you a negative review. If they are, then you have some options. If they aren't, you need to look elsewhere for the cause. There are some on-line resources to do this sort of reference checking, but they cost a little money. Another option is if you have a friend who has a business and can be calling to do a reference check. Once you have this crucial factual element in place, you can contact an attorney about your rights in pursuing a claim.
If your former employer is making false statements about you, you may be able to pursue them for a defamation claim. This sort of claim will have to overcome the presumption that you are not being defamed, but that is not an impossible task depending on the facts.