Disclaimer Precluded Former Employee From Relying On Handbook As Employment Contract
Applying Maryland law, a United States District Court has held that although
an employee handbook required warnings for poor performance and exit interviews
prior to termination, an employee was precluded from relying on the handbook as
a contract with the employer, for purposes of a breach of employment contract
claim. The handbook contained a disclaimer stating that the handbook did not
confer "any contractual right, either express or implied" to remain in
employment and that employment "may be terminated at will, with or without cause
and without prior notice."
Chandler v. W.E. Welch
& Associates, Inc.