what are my rights

[scityb]

California
I was recently offered a position with a company, I was sent an offer letter and all seemed to be going well, then I recieved a call from the immediate supervisor who hired me and he told me that he was withdrawing the offer because of a bad reference.
I was really shocked by this and contacted the HR dept. and asked them who gave me the bad ref. and what was said.What they told me was,"This industry has a lot of people who have worked together sometime or another and there was information that was shared with us from a source outside of your references that is all I know." Here is the background check we did on you. (Which by the way is excellent.) Since I have only worked for one other company in this industry I new who they were talking about. So I went online and hired a reference checking company to find out who and what is being said, and what I found out was that my former boss is spreading lies about me and telling prospective employers that he fired me! I have two reports one on my former boss, documenting his lies, and one from the HR dept. saying that I did Resign from this position and that I am elegible to be rehired. Two conflicting reports?To me it seems as if my former boss has a personal vendetta against me for some reason, I don't know what it could be since I did leave the company on good terms,and he was the last one I was in contact with and he gave me no indication what so ever that he was unhappy with me. I have been denied one job already because of this person and for all I know this is probably not an isolated incedent.
I wonder how can I resolve this? Or am I out of luck?

[sunlover]

Take your documentation to the new employer to prove your side. Contact the old employer's corporate office in regads to the false reference. If need be talk to Lawyer about a law suit