Legal Question in Employment Law in New Jersey

Is it legal for an employer to make an employee pay for a mistake in New Jersey?

My husband works in heating and AC. He made a mistake that caused some water damage to a household. His employer threatened that he would have to pay for these fixes. It was a mistake and I thought this is why employers have insurance. I just wanted to know if it was legal in New Jersey for an employer to do this?


Asked on 7/02/12, 6:35 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

Barry Gartenberg Barry F. Gartenberg LLC

As a general rule, an employee is not financially responsible to an employer for the cost of a simple mistake. However, in general, an employer may fire an employee for making a mistake or, if the employee is at-will, for no reason at all.

As H.L. Mencken said, �For every problem there is a solution that is simple, neat and wrong.�

Kindly note and remember that my response is merely a general comment on the law related to your question, and NOT legal advice or opinion. Also, your question and my response does NOT create an attorney-client relationship between us. You cannot rely upon what I have written, because I do not have all of the information that I need to advise you or render an opinion. Even simple facts you have not shared can completely change my answer. For me to give you legal advice or opinion, you would need to hire me to be your lawyer, and then we would need to discuss this in detail and go over the documents.

Please visit my website! www.bgartenberg.com or call me if you�d like to learn more about me or my practice. Thank you.

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Answered on 7/02/12, 7:18 am


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