Gave me an offer but lied about the contract status.

No...why would there be? They thought they could offer you a position, things changed and they could not. Move on...you said you had other offers, try going back to them.

Billie:

A good, reputable company would have stated that the offer was contingent in the offer letter.
Your post exposes that the company you almost worked for wasn't a good reputable company.
It's good that you found out now rather than later.

I applaud your concern for others who got burned, but they, like you, will find their way to another opportunity.

Good luck!

Haven't companies been sued over that. I recall reading an article some years ago talking about the legal ramifications of offers and accepting them. They were talking about how in some rare instances people who had accepted offers in private industry had been sued after accepting then backing out at the last minute,and how some people had sued businesses that had given them an offer for a job,had them move half way across the country,and then pulled the offer.

  Then again,the whole contractor thing is usually a whole different ball of wax. I don't know how government contractors work,but I know all the contract employment I have done in the private sector was very clear in all the documents I signed that I worked for the contractor and as such,only worked if their clients had work for me,otherwise I was SOL. If its the same for you,I think that's their out,they would say,with some level of justification,that whether they have work for you only one day,only one week,only one month,or none at all,that's how the contract cookie crumbles.
 
  Still,that's a sleazy way to do business.


 Bewelle,your a lot more optimistic than I. I think some tell their candidates,others just assume they know,still others hope they don't so they can lock in the best candidates who otherwise would get offers someplace else.

You have legal standing if their offer letter didn't state it was contingent on a contract, you relied on the letter, turned down other offers, and now are still unemployed. An employer who made an offer to people at my grad school for the summer had to honor it for the above reason.

However, since you are now employed, you come off as lawsuit happy. Trust me the company losing the contract probably hurt them alot more then not being to honor some hirings..

detrimental reliance is the issue you need to research.  You would  then have to prove you out of pocket expenses created as a result of your reliance on their "promise" of a job.