Liability for Verbal Agreements | Legal Aid

Questioner

A few months ago I hired a friend of mine (coach) to help me coach my clients within my company. I had way too many. He is a self-employed person and so am I. We did not make a written agreement but verbally agreed that he would also maintain my rate within his company (to prevent competition within my own company) and would not help my clients within his company. He violated both agreements and that is why I ended the collaboration with him. Can I also hold him liable for not fulfilling the agreements and the loss I suffered without a written agreement? After all, he cheated me out of my own clients and helped them for a pittance at his own company.

Lawyer

Verbal agreements are also binding. However, they are more difficult to prove because it is your word against his. My advice is therefore always to record agreements in writing to prevent such disputes. Whether you can hold him liable is difficult to say, but it is always your right to submit it to a judge and try to recover the damages. What the outcome of this will be is also difficult to say.