Litigation Value: $350,000
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, the bosses should spring for 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 the police should have known she was too insane to carry a gun. I doubt that he will get anywhere close to $3 million. Maybe he is suffering from some delusions of his own.
