News Notes: Employer Not Responsible For Sexual Assault Of Student

A California Court of Appeal has thrown out a jury award against an employer accused of negligently allowing a teacher’s aide to repeatedly sexually assault an 11-year-old emotionally disturbed student. The court said the employee’s acts were personal and had no purpose connected to his employment. The court noted that for the employer to be liable for a worker’s intentional misconduct, it must have been predictable based on the work performed, which wasn’t the case here. Also, as soon as suspicious activities were reported, the employer investigated the matter, indicating that it didn’t approve of the employee’s actions.