This isn't me, posting on behalf of someone else.
I am a highly qualified professional in a competitive industry. I was working in a temporary position I was overqualified for at my former company, lets call it company A. For several years, they promised me if I kept working there, I would eventually get promoted to a position I wanted/was deserving of. However at the 11th hour, when my temporary contract was about to expire, they wouldn't put any guarantees in writing, just saying “trust them” and they “might” be able to get me a job at their sister company. Finally, after being jerked around and then missing the end date of my contract, I asked for a final guarantee of a senior position. They wrote me a document to say here is the kind of work they “might” give me if I stay around for a few years. Meanwhile, I had no contract at all.
In the background, I was applying for jobs in other companies. Believe it or not, I was successful! I told company A that I wasn't going to work for them based on false promises, and I've found somewhere else to work (company B).
Suddenly , I see a company-wide email that said I've been hired as the new [senior position] at company A. I quickly replied to all and informed them that this wasn't the case, and that I was working elsewhere, but they claimed I had a contract and had no choice. When I said this, company A said they would take me and company B to court, and bad-mouthed me to everybody I knew. I thought my career was over! They even said that I need to consider my priorities and loyalty!!
They actually tried to sue me, with just that crappy document as their evidence (that they changed after the fact). Luckily, employer B had my back and helped me avoid any legal trouble.
This story has a happy ending: I am now employed at company B in the job I want, and have put this whole mess behind me. However I thought I should share this just to show how a couple of bad managers can ruin a person's reputation and career prospects. It's lucky my new company was there to support me because if they weren't I would be out of a job, nobody would ever hire me, and my reputation would be ruined. And the worst thing is that there will be no repercussions for company A, or the people involved in this whole mess. I hope nobody else has to go through that.