Litigation Value: $0.
Shockingly, I don’t think Dunder Mifflin can be held liable for any conduct in the “Crime Aid” episode of The Office. That doesn’t mean I think it’s advisable for Michael Scott and Holly to be messing around at work, for Phyllis to auction off sexual favors (“hugs”), or for Dwight to point to his crotch and tell Phyllis that Angela would be “saying goodbye to this.” But it does mean that I don’t think the company can be held liable for any illegal conduct. Yet.
As refreshing as it is to see the HR department represented more positively by Holly than it was by Toby, you have to worry for Dunder Mifflin when Holly does things like sleep with Michael — on the third date, no less. And forgetting to lock up the place after an at-work make-out session, leading to a robbery.
As I’ve said before, interoffice relationships are bad news for companies, especially when they involve a manager. Even if Michael and Holly executed a love contract — which they didn’t — their relationship has a good chance of ending badly, leading to hurt feelings, angry employees, and maybe a lawsuit. Hopefully someone in HR gets wind of this and . . .
Wait — Holly is the HR rep! Oh boy. Well, let’ s get ready to see how this goes down. And I hope David Wallace has his checkbook handy, because I think there’s a good chance that this is going to end in a judgment. Maybe not next week (when Michael and Holly go on a trip, apparently), but soon.
What about Michael’s statement that they auction off people, “like in the olden days”?
Was the “saying goodbye to this” line an Arrested Development reference?
woops! Have to include the possibility that Stanley will sue for the disparaging comment and a hostile work environment.
While it apparently turned out okay, it was probably risky to auction off a night of drinking with the warehouse team.