Business trip expense?

[Corkywg]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Hello I am in Florida I quit my job 2 days before a scheduled business trip. I am an at-will employee with no employee contract of any kind. My employer is trying to make me pay for the wasted plane ticket. Can I be held liable for this cost? Thanks for the advice.

 

[Corkywg]

I'm not really concerned with getting my last pay check I just want to be out clean. What grounds would he have or a better question how would the process work if he attempts to get this 1500 dollar plane ticket expense? What should I say or do? I don't wanna hurt him or his business, just don't want to work there any more (I have another job).

 

[cbg]

Actually, as long as you still received minimum wage and overtime, if worked, there is no law in Florida that would prohibit your employer from deducting at least part of the cost from your paycheck. Federal law says you can't be taken below Federal minimum wage times hours worked, and if you work overtime you have to receive it. But other than that, nothing in Federal or Florida law would prohibit the deduction.

And, again in Florida, if the employer were to sue you for the cost of the ticket, there is no guarantee that the employer would lose.

 

[Corkywg]

Can anyone else give me their opinion on this one or elaborate on this, any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks much.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

cbg has covered it very well. This literally is a roll the dice issue. You cannot go into small claims court and tell the judge you did not intentionally refrain from telling your employer about your new job. You clearly did not give a 2 week notice, which is the professional way to handle these situations. You have not indicated that your employer would not have incurred the ticket expense, regardless of whether you gave a 2 week notice.

 

[Corkywg]

cbg has covered it very well. This literally is a roll the dice issue. You cannot go into small claims court and tell the judge you did not intentionally refrain from telling your employer about your new job. You clearly did not give a 2 week notice, which is the professional way to handle these situations. You have not indicated that your employer would not have incurred the ticket expense, regardless of whether you gave a 2 week notice.

Thank you for you reply, I did tell my boss about my new job, he wasn't happy, part of the reason I left, he bought the ticket over a month in advance so he would have incurred the ticket expense regardless. Just wanted to answer your question. Thanks again, in hindsight I should have handled it differently just don't know what to do now.

 

[Corkywg]

Originally Posted by Corkywg
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Hello I am in Florida I quit my job 2 days before a scheduled business trip. I am an at-will employee with no employee contract of any kind. My employer is trying to make me pay for the wasted plane ticket. Can I be held liable for this cost? Thanks for the advice.

What about this I found on the net... "Unless there is contract for employment, employment in the United States is "at-will," that is, an employer can fire an employee at anytime for any reason, and an employee can quit at any time for any reason. Usually, neither party has a claim against the other for any type of damages that arise from the termination of the employment relationship."

So wouldn't this make me not liable for the expense? Your thoughts please...

 

[justalayman]

detrimental reliance

If there were any discussions that would suggest you were intending on remaining employed at the employer in question beyond the time of the trip, they may be able to win this in court.

 

[cbg]

WHERE on the net did you find that?

Not everything you find on the net is 100% accurate. I found this on the net, too.

http://www.employmentlawhandbook.com/wage-payment-laws/state-wage-payment-laws/florida/

 

[Corkywg]

WHERE on the net did you find that?

Not everything you find on the net is 100% accurate. I found this on the net, too.

http://www.employmentlawhandbook.com/wage-payment-laws/state-wage-payment-laws/florida/

http://labor-employment-law.lawyers.com/Job-Hunting/Promises-and-Rescinded-Job-Offers.html

 

[cbg]

Did you see the words, Usually, and state specific in there? Also, did you notice that the article was about employee's recovering damages when an offer is rescinded, not about your situation?

Florida is extremely employer friendly. Your employer would be violating no law, either Federal or state, by making the deductions as long as you were left with Federal minimum wage times hours worked and any overtime you'd worked. You could try to sue the employer in small claims to get it back, but since there is no specific statute prohibiting the deductions and given the employer bias in Florida, there is absolutely no guarantee that you'd win.

You are, of course, free to try.

 

[RedemptionMan]

Florida does have some messed up laws, not much of middle class. You are either rich or poor but not much in between. The courts there tend to favor the small to medium sized businesses that flourish there. I love Florida, so many retired old school mobsters from the east coast they sure do know how to make some delicious Italian food.

 

[Corkywg]

Thanks all for the responses, great info! Just to be clear I don't wanna sue anyone, I just don't want to be responsible for the airline ticket cost? I have no intention of hurting this employer just trying to cover myself. Thanks again for the advice, cheers!

P.S. if anyone has any more thoughts on the original question I would def be interested. Thx.

 

[eerelations]

Here's what you've been told at least several times, and it's the best most accurate advice and information you can possibly get:

There are no laws covering this type of situation. If your former employer decides to sue you for the cost of the plane ticket, there is a 50/50 chance your former employer will win this lawsuit. Period.

There's really no point asking the same question over and over and over, because all you're going to get is the same (correct) answer over and over and over again.

 

[commentator]

You want other opinions because you want to hear what you want to hear. And you're not going to get it. You are pretty much on the hook, as long as your employer pays you at least minimum wage for the hours you have actually worked. In fact, it would be legal for him to do this (reduce your final paycheck) even if he didn't have an excuse like recouping the cost of the airline ticket. If he sues you, I'd say his chances are somewhat better than 50/50 in Florida.