What exactly can an employer say about you?

why not get your husband to call the new place up and explain the situation to them, that he's feeling very pressured at work and would like to leave as soon as possible?

Yes. It won't really make a difference to his new employer, other than to illustrate that he is valuable.

Legally his current employer is not aloud to say anything bad about him. He also doesnt have the right to say he needs him there. Your husband has the right to quit that job. But just because the employer doesn't have the right to say it, doesn't mean he wont say something bad

If I were your husband I would be calling the job I wanted and tell them all the things that you just explained; and how he cannot be working in that type of environment and that he is leaving his other job anyways. Tell the potential new job about the old boss, and nicely put that even though the old boss needs you because they are short staffed you are leaving there anyways and that he would appreciate if the new boss took that into consideration. Just don't sound whiny and the new boss (if he's any better than the old boss ) should understand.

Yes, the supervisor was only allowed, by law, to confirm that your husband was employed there and for how long. That doesn't mean that the company calling didn't ask other questions, I'm sure that they did. Your husband should not worry about the comment that the supervisor made. If he has only been there 6 months, then I'm sure that he had other job references that were checked. And, as a hiring authority, I don't see it as a negative. I see it as meaning that you husband is such a good worker they don't want to lose him. That is someone that I would want to hire. And when I do reference checks, I don't really give comments like "we're too short handed" all that much weight when making a decision. There is one other issue in what you posted that I'm concerned with. I think your husband or someone else at this company needs to file a hostile work environment complaint with the EEOC. Just the fact that this supervisor is doing things to cause the female employees to cry is sufficient reason for a complaint. They do not have to put up with that, and your husband does not have to work in that type of an environment. The complaint can be file anonymously, but if it is file openly then the company nor the supervisor can do anything in retaliation. If the supervisor does retaliate, then he can be held personally liable. That means he can be sued

he should have made sure the new employer was aware of it.

the only can say that you worked there from date until date

Employer can legally say anything it wants, short of slander or fraud, provided it does not intentionally interfere with the person's right to contract his services elsewhere (tortious interference with contract), does not inflict emotional distress upon the employee, and does not breach any duty of privacy or confidentiality of the employee. "She's been under medical treatment for depression ever since she had a miscarriage in the cafeteria one day."