Can my employer sue me for quitting if i have a contract?
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Can my employer sue me for quitting if i have a contract?
I am quitting to continue my education but I am under a 1 year contract. Can I be sued for quitting after a month and for about how much?
Asked on July 13, 2011 under Employment Labor Law, Pennsylvania
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
There is no general answer, since in any breach of contract case, what a party can get in the event of a breach by the other party will depend on the terms of the contract. Therefore, you need to look to the terms of the contract and, if appropriate or helpful, let an attorney review it for you. As a general matter, the sort of damages which a company could seek for breach of contracts like this include:
1) The employee repays any recruitment fees paid to get him or her;
2) The employee repays any signing bonus, relocation expenses, or even any benefits (like vacation days) which the employee received and took advantage of before quite "earning" or accruing them (e.g. say normally, one vacation day is earned every 6 weeks; if you were allowed to use more days than you properly accured by your departure, you may have to repay the value of some);
3) The employee repays any training or other "onboarding" expenses;
4) The employee pays the recruitment or related expenses for his or her replacement.
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