Cocchiara v. Lithia Motors, Inc.

In this employment case we must determine whether a prospective employee may bring a promissory estoppel claim or a fraudulent misrepresentation claim based on an employer’s representations regarding a job that is terminable at will. Plaintiff worked as a salesperson for defendant 1 for nearly eight years before he had a heart attack that required him to seek a less stressful job. In reliance on his manager’s promise that plaintiff had been given a new “corporate” job with defendant that would meet his health needs, plaintiff turned down a job with a different employer. Ultimately, defendant…