Can a company sue for loss of revenue?

2

2fly4ever

Well-Known Member
Iam trying to quit my current flying job before my contract goes into effect. I already have two job offers with two very companies that is going to treat me like a human being. My current company told me that they can sue for "loss of revenue" if I leave before my contract goes into effect. Iam finding out that my current company tried to screw other people in the past and setting pilots up for violations. I feel like Iam going to lose my license or even worse if I continued to fly for this company. I have already declined trips for bad equipment and being fatigued. Any help will be appriciated.
 
Aviation is small and burning bridges is bad. That said, if your going to die at your current employer or worse, lose your certificate, find other people who have been in that situation and how it was handled. See what the local laws are.

What type aircraft are you flying?
 
I'm pretty sure you are an at will employee. You can quit at any time, they can fire you at any time.

If they lose revenue because they are not staffed, that's their problem. Not yours.

Personally, tell them to go sit on a pineapple. J/k... No really.
 
TUCKnTRUCK said:
I'm pretty sure you are an at will employee. You can quit at any time, they can fire you at any time.

If they lose revenue because they are not staffed, that's their problem. Not yours.

Personally, tell them to go sit on a pineapple. J/k... No really.
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Correct me if Iam wrong, so a company can not sue me on the basis of "lost revenue"
Yes, I am an at will employee. I'm sure this company will pull a "fly or be fired" card down the road when it will be unsafe to fly. So, it is better I leave now.
 
They can sue you for whatever they want - if they don't like the color of your shoes, for example. That's not the point though. The point is whether they'd have a reasonable chance of winning.

Now, at-will employment or not, you mention a contract. If you're breaking that contract, it's an entirely different matter, and you may be carrying some liabilities there. What does the contract say?

(Keep in mind none of us...except jtrain....are lawyers.)
 
If you don't like it, leave. Contract or not, they can't keep you there. If they're forcing you to break regs, then they don't have a leg to stand on if they take you to court. Gather as much dirt on them as you can while you're there, keep good records of it, and throw it back in their face if they try to take action against you for breaking contract.
 
killbilly said:
They can sue you for whatever they want - if they don't like the color of your shoes, for example. That's not the point though. The point is whether they'd have a reasonable chance of winning.
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No you can't.

Now, at-will employment or not, you mention a contract. If you're breaking that contract, it's an entirely different matter, and you may be carrying some liabilities there. What does the contract say?

(Keep in mind none of us...except jtrain....are lawyers.)
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And no I'm not.

This guy should consult an attorney in his jurisdiction.
 
Consult an attorney.

Can you get sued? Why not - all boils down to the company and how much moolah they got. Contracts are where it gets messy; and how much it is costing the company.

Good luck.
 
I think he said his contract wasn't in effect yet. Even if they have one, they can't go for "lost revenue"

If you don't mind burning bridges, start calling your local fsdo whenever you see something illegal. If they really are that shady, they won't want to keep you around, and I'm pretty sure them firing you voids any contract.
 
TUCKnTRUCK said:
I think he said his contract wasn't in effect yet. Even if they have one, they can't go for "lost revenue"

If you don't mind burning bridges, start calling your local fsdo whenever you see something illegal. If they really are that shady, they won't want to keep you around, and I'm pretty sure them firing you voids any contract.
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I disagree with this. To the OP: If you're contract hasn't taken effect, give notice and walk away...easy.

If you wait for them to fire you then you'll have to own it every time you apply for another position. Unless you're planning on filing for unemployment, it's better to quit than to be fired.
 
I'd hire legal counsel in your area and have them review anything you signed and get a official legal opinion. I have used AOPA legal and found them to a great help. Assuming you have the legal plan.

If the company is that bad bail ASAP. Remember to protect your

A$$
Ticket
Paycheck

in that order.

Keep us posted
 
Do what you want. Don't worry about burning bridges. If its a shady company with a negative reputation people will applaud your pyromania.
 
It'd be great if there was some sort of organization or public entity that could address worker intimidation. FREEEEEEDOM! :)
 
Threatening suit and actually getting sued are two entirely different matters. I highly doubt they would follow through because the expense wouldn't be worth the risk of potential outcomes...even if they were victorious.

If it were me I'd be out the door yesterday based solely on fear of violation or accident. Bridges be damned. Something tells me future employers won't be placing much importance on their "credibility" anyway.
 
killbilly said:
They can sue you for whatever they want - if they don't like the color of your shoes, for example. That's not the point though. The point is whether they'd have a reasonable chance of winning.

Now, at-will employment or not, you mention a contract. If you're breaking that contract, it's an entirely different matter, and you may be carrying some liabilities there. What does the contract say?
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Entirely correct. All of it.

The employer can file a Compliant (lawsuit) for anything they want to. The OP can hire a member of the Bar (lawyer) in his area to confirm that, or go down to the Court House and they'll confirm that fact for free. How long the Complaint survives is the question. If the suit is very very very poorly conceived (like suing the OP for bringing them bad flying weather), the Judge might throw it out in a Summary Judgment hearing (not likely, but possible). The basic fact is, at most the court filing staff will look at the basic format of the employer's Complaint (or whatever they call it in that jurisdiction) and usually if the front page has all the right words (not written in invisible ink, or using the Klingon language), and the last page has all the right signatures, and if they pay the correct filing fee, the Staff will file it. Court Staff are not qualified or authorized to judge the merit of claims or determine what is a valid cause of action, or what breaches a prohibition on suing some particular person in particular circumstances (like suing public officials who have qualified immunity). As long as the substance of the claim looks vaguely like english words and sentences, the filing clerks will not question it.......Presto, you've been sued. I've seen handwritten Complaints written in pencil filed by complete nut-jobs that are laughable. Even those still make it to Court for at least one session.

As killbilly asked, exactly what does the contract say?
.
 
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