Home > Research Legal Advice > Employment / Labor > Is the company I work for liable for death threats made against me?
Asked about 1 year ago - Freehold, NJ
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I am a supervisor and terminated a employee for poor job performance more than four years ago.
To date I continue to recieve death threats left on my voice mail from this guy. I have reported him to the police but they have never apprehended him. I continue to report it to my superiors and hr department, but it has been treated as a joke.
Since this person no longer works for your company, it has no ability or legal obligation to control his actions. If the local police have not pursued the matter to your satisfaction, and if in fact this person is continuing to make death threats, my suggestion is that you contact your local FBI office.
That's a tough one since he is no longer employed with your company. If the individual comes to the workplace, and threatens you there and the employer fails to take reasonable measures, you then may have a workmens' compensation claim.
Herbert Tan, Esq.
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My colleagues are absolutely right. It would be an entirely different scenario if the employee still worked for the company - as you might have claims for negligent hiring, negligent supervision, hostile work environment, etc. However, they do not really have any responsibility over him anymore. The best thing is to report the death threats to law enforcement, if your supervisors and HR department are not taking it seriously. In most states it rises to a felony to make a death threat against someone.
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