contract-law
Missing budget due to employer-sponsor misunderstanding: is that breach of contract?
<p>As per title, 50% of the budget for my salary is missing due to an employer-sponsor misunderstanding. The sponsor is giving 0.5 full time expecting that my employer would take care of the rest. On the other hand, my employer was expecting full time budget from this sponsor. My contract does not mention where the budget should come from, but I was CC'ed in an exchange of emails between the employer and the sponsor about this.</p>
<p>I am in the USA and my contract is at will (termination with 15-day notice).</p>
<p>If this is not sorted out, it will lead to contract termination. In this case, would I be entitled to make a claim for breach of contract?</p>
<p>EDIT: I was hired two months ago, fully budgeted by the sponsor. The budget issue has just come out for the upcoming fiscal year.</p>

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<p>is that breach of contract?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You are not giving any specifics about your contract or the email where you were CC'ed. Based on the information you provide, it appears that the employment contract is between you and the employer only. Accordingly, the employer is responsible for paying you 100% of your salary regardless of what agreements and misunderstandings he has with third parties.</p>
<p>If the employer pays you less than what you two agreed upon, he would be in breach of contract regardless of whether or when your employment is terminated. Termination or continuation of employment is irrelevant to the actionability of the aforementioned breach of contract.</p>
<p>For termination at-will to be actionable, it would have to contravene public policy, statute, or the conditions you and the employer agreed upon. The controversy between employer and sponsor hardly seems a matter of public policy or of statute. If the requirement of 15-day notice also applies to the employer and he disavows it by terminating you immediately, then you would have a [separate] claim for breach of contract, which would be independent of the breach stemming from non-payment (or incomplete payment) of your salary &amp; wages.</p>
