Texas Children's faces lawsuit, accused of rescinding job offer after woman relocated
HOUSTON - A California woman is suing Texas Children's Hospital, alleging that her job offer was rescinded after she relocated to Houston for the position.
Mojgan Pedram told FOX 26 that she and her family moved to Texas, incurring over $20,000 in relocation expenses for a job she believed was secure.
However, on the day she was to begin her onboarding process, she learned the offer was withdrawn.
"When you're messing with someone's life like this, that means you don't care about your people," Pedram said.
According to the lawsuit, Pedram applied for a physician assistant role at Texas Children's Hospital in February 2024. After two months, she received an offer to start in June with a salary of over $124,000.
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In a matter of three weeks, Pedram, her husband, and their two young children relocated from Southern California to Houston. On May 31, after completing health screenings and starting the onboarding process at the hospital, Pedram was informed by phone that the job offer was rescinded.
"The woman from the hospital told me over the phone we are no longer moving forward with you because we're going to put a pause on hiring," Pedram said. "I said, I was there in the morning and nobody told me about this."
Pedram's attorney, Jacob Scholl, told FOX 26 that he was informed by a staff member of Kinetix, a Georgia-based staffing agency involved in recruiting Pedram, that the hospital had been undergoing a hiring freeze for two months before the cancelation.
"We are asking for damages for the money and time spent moving to Texas and all of her lost wages," Scholl said. "Even after she gets that job, it's going to take another three to four months to get hospital privileges. The hospital needs to take accountability."
FOX 26 Senior Legal Analyst Chris Tritico noted that while companies can rescind job offers, they should avoid doing so after significant life changes have already occurred.
"After quitting her job, selling her house, uprooting her family… by doing that she detrimentally relied on their promise to offer her that job," Tritico said. "That's a pretty good claim."
Fortunately, Pedram has secured a position as a physician's assistant at another local hospital. However, the income gap, compounded by the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, has left her family in financial distress.
"They should've put a pause in the beginning. They shouldn't play with people's lives and not caring," Pedram said. "All the expenses and hassles, and don't even bother to talk in advance? Inform me with a quick call and say, 'Hey, I'm just screwing with your life.'"
Fox 26 has reached out to Texas Children's Hospital for a comment but has not yet received a response.