Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Michigan

My sister has been finding homes for cats and kittens at the local farm store for over three years. she charges a small adoption fee and everyone praises her work and the healthy quality of the cats. Over this time there has been a great deal of support and friendliness on behalf of the store management and employees except for one abrasive individual. He has used harsh tones with my sister before and can often be heard speaking in a derogatory manner to the female employees who are quite reticent to confront him. He is described by his assoicates as "always in a bad mood" My sister is not an employee but a customer and this evening when she walked in the store he began yelling at her, shaking his finger in her face and blocked her exit from the building all the while telling her that she would never sell cats there again because he has always had a problem with it. She apologized and left fearing his intimidation and threats. i question the legality of his behavior and the responsbility the store has to protect its customers and employees from his tirades. I reported the situation to the home office via e-mail and to the store manager at his home this evening. Naturally, the manger apologized, expressed his appreciation for her support of the store and offerred to speak with her about the situation on Monday. I also contacted the city police to inquire as to whether or not a police report should be filled out due to his threatening demeanor. They offered to send an officer but I felt it best to not upset my sister further as she can always file the report later. I was also surprised that when I called the store to locate the manager's name and phone number, I told the employee who answered that I was working to make sure no one had to tolerate his bullying again and she thanked me! Obviously something must be done to help these intimidated employees but what are the legal limits in this situation and how can we hold the management accountable for the actions of this man? Do such threatening behaviors constitute assault and wouldn't a review of the store's video footage reveal his aggressive and intimidating tactics?


Asked on 3/21/10, 1:05 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

Timothy Klisz Klisz Law Office, PLLC

This is not assault and not illegal. The employees are free to quit at any time. You have already reported the worker to the boss, there is nothing left to do as I see things. Others could disagree. Www.kliszlaw.com. Tim Klisz

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Answered on 3/26/10, 5:09 am


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