Former Employer Listed Me As "not Eligible For Rehire" And It Cost Me A Job Offer.

Location: Washington state. I left my previous job voluntarily about a year ago, gave two weeks notice, completed all my handover documentation, and left on what I believed were good terms. My manager shook my hand on the last day. I had no disciplinary history, no write-ups, no performance improvement plans at any point during my two years there.

Last month I went through a full hiring process at a new company, made it to the offer stage, and then the offer was rescinded after their background check came back. The recruiter told me off the record that my former employer had flagged me as not eligible for rehire in their system, which triggered a policy at the new company that automatically voids conditional offers.

I have no idea why this designation was applied. I was never told about it, never given an opportunity to contest it, and as far as I knew my departure was completely standard. I reached out to my former manager who said he had no involvement in it and seemed genuinly surprised, and suggested it may have come from HR rather than anyone I worked with directly.

My questions are: does Washington state have any laws requiring employers to disclose a not eligible for rehire designation to a departing employee, and do I have any recourse if the designation is factually inaccurate or was applied without legitimate cause. I am also wondering whether contacting HR at my former employer directly to request my personnel file is advisable at this stage or whether that could complicate things if this eventually becomes a legal matter.