past employer threatening me w/legal action

[anonymous1]

6 months ago I left a job I that I had held for 5 years. It is in California. Some people there remained my friends and have chosen to confide in me about the unpleasant working conditions they are enduring and how situations have changed since I've been gone. In return, I have tried to encourage and motivate them with information regarding my successful decision to move on. This has been done via e-mail and mostly on personal e-mail addresses. There has been nothing verbal between myself and the remaining employees at the company. I have just received a letter from that employer's attorney stating that I am interfering with contractual relationships by soliciting employees of the company to leave their employment. They have threatened legal action if I continue. These were personal e-mails with people who chose to confide in me and somehow it has been leaked to the employer. I need some advice, I want to know what my rights are, if this type of contact with me can be considered harrassment, and if I can somehow have a way to keep them from contacting me further.

 

[ALawyer]

Unfortunately there may be some basis for the "lawyer's letter" you received, and thus it is may be more than an bogus itimidating letter. But absent some sort of contract not to try to recruit them, or not to sow dissention, as a practical matter few companies would go after anyone.

I do not know what your circumstance is, or the state, or the content of your communications, but if you do NOT use their company email address or contact them at work you'd play it safer.