Head hunter sues for moving expense

I have a situation where I was recruited for a job that required a relocation from California to Illinois. The recruiter was not a regular employee of the company, but he was acting on behalf of the company. I agreed in writing to reimburse the recruiter for the moving expenses if I left the company within one year.

To make a long story short, I quit the job after about 5 weeks. The reason was because there were gross misrepresentations about the kind of work that I would be doing, and about who I would be working for. As a result I have refused to reimburse anyone. But the recruiter/head hunter is threatening to sue. He argues that all the misrepresentations were actually made by the company and he is not responsible. So is he off the hook? Will his argument stand up in court?

You accepted a job half-way across the country without an interview with the company? you had no chance to meet reprsentatives of the company and review your job status and duitiesprior to the move? this seems very odd.

Yes, I did have an interview. This was for a software engineer position. I was told by the recruiter that I would be working for Mike, and so I interviewed with Mike. I was also told (by Mike) that I would start work on project X. During the first week all this changed. I was now to work for another manager on another project which was not in my area of expertise.

I struggled with this every week, hoping that things would change back or get better. Things just got worse. For example, they began booking me on 3-day business trips and the travel requirement was not disclosed to me prior to taking the job. I should also mention that I quit simply to end the misery. I did not have another offer lined up.

You say that "you struggled" and "hoped". Did you document your "struggling" efforts to your supervisor and then try to move further up the administrative line? I understand your point of view because the company unilaterally changed your duties. But to just up and quit needs some evidence that you sought to restore the original contract. Then, if the head-hunter does sue you, at least you have something to present to the judge. "Hoped" doesn't count.