Litigation Value: $350,000
Phew – finally a new episode! While any episode of The Office is a good one, it’s nice to have new material to discuss. As always, the gang at Dunder Mifflin did not disappoint with this week’s super-sized episode.
Employers who fail to fire employees who tape pepper spray canisters, nunchucks, and throwing stars to the bottom of their desks are playing with fire. Expensive fire. Sure, Roy started it, and I’m glad Dunder Mifflin fired him. But what about Dwight? After all, the man kept weapons at work for God knows how long. And if Roy can prove that Dunder Mifflin knew about them and failed to take action, then he just might have a claim for damages (e.g., eye doctor appointments, pain and suffering, etc.). Maybe Toby should go ahead and start to prepare for this deposition too while he is at it.
To make matters worse, Dwight admits having the weapons during Toby’s investigation into the incident. The time has come for Dunder Mifflin to part ways with Dwight. And unlike they did with Roy, Dunder Mifflin should spring the fifteen bucks and just FedEx Dwight’s last check to him.
While I blog about egregious behavior from The Office as if it were real, I often come across real lawsuits that would make great TV. Take for instance the recent suit filed by a New York police officer who shot her husband in a jealous rage upon learning of his infidelity. That might not sound too extraordinary, but guess who her husband is suing? Her employer. For $3 million. The husband claims they should have known she was too insane to carry a gun. But I doubt that he will get anywhere close to 3 million. Maybe he is suffering from some delusions of his own.
It really surprised me that they let Roy back in to pick up his check. I thought they’d just mail it, too. And wouldn’t Jan get in trouble for giving Michael a raise without Toby in the room? Wasn’t that the whole point of him going up there? Good episode, a great example of why not to get romantically involved with a co-worker, from every angle.
I’m sure I wouldn’t care for the show if I were a regional manager for a small paper wholesaler, but it’s almost as bad being in HR. Sure, I get to laugh at all the stupid things the D-M employees and managers do, but then I have to try to explain to my kids that Toby bears no resemblence to their father. Which is tough, actually, because unfortunately we have the same haircut and dress alike.
I can understand throwing stars and nunchucks, but isn’t it legal to carry pepper spray pretty much anywhere? As long as it is used in a defensive manner, it shouldn’t be actionable, should it?