Employer Vicarious Liability
In some cases, a company can be found liable for its employee wrongdoing. If someone at your business has been accused of an illegal act, it’s important to act quickly to determine whether you will be held liable for the employee’s acts, and if you are, it’s important to take precautions to minimize your company’s liability as much as possible. Because the rules surrounding this area of law are complex, it can be difficult to understand the impact of the employee’s behavior without contacting an attorney who can help walk you through the process.
Vicarious liability lawyers in Florida defend employers against a broad range of employment torts, including negligent hiring and/or retention, wrongful discharge, defamation, fraudulent or negligent misrepresentation, whistleblower retaliation, workers’ compensation retaliation, malicious prosecution and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Vicarious Liability in Employment Law
Oftentimes, even if a manager is the one who engages in such behavior to the extent that it harms or injures another, the employer organization may still be liable. Therefore, it is important to ensure you are being properly represented against such claims, so that you can avoid vicarious liability in Florida. Without the help of a seasoned employment law attorney, you may find yourself paying the price for your employee’s actions, even if those actions were not condoned by the organization as a whole.
In some circumstances, an employer’s liability may extend even to intentional or criminal acts performed by the employee. However, not every employee-employer relationship creates vicarious liability. For instance, if the agreement between the parties is that of two independent contractors, the employer will not be held liable for the acts of the person committing such illegal conduct. Typically, if the person is found to be an employee, the employer will only be found liable if the employee was acting within the course and scope of their employment. Acts of gross negligence of employees are often not considered acts for which the employer is vicariously liable.
Our Vero Beach lawyers have years of experience handling such employment law claims. We work with you to ensure you know your rights and to thereby protect you against any vicarious liability torts in Florida. Contact us today to speak to one of our experienced employment torts lawyers.
