What to do if I was confronted by loss prevention and suspended from work because I was putting store credit into my family’s rewards card?
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What to do if I was confronted by loss prevention and suspended from work because I was putting store credit into my family’s rewards card?
Before I was fired I quit and I would like to know if they can still put that I was fired for stealing on my record?
Asked on November 30, 2012 under Employment Labor Law, California
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
There is no "record" of why you were fired, in the sense that you have a driving record or a credit history--this information is not kept in a single public place. That said, this employer, if asked for a recommendation about you by a later possible employer, could say that they fired you for stealing--but if no one asks them, it should not come out. Therefore, if you only worked there for a short time, the best thing to do may be to omit them from your work history, so the issue never comes up.
If you need to include them on your resume, or a possible employer otherwise becomes aware of this employer and wants to contact them, then, as stated, they could say you were fired for theft. However, if you believe that is untrue, you could potentially sue them for defamation. In that suit, you would try to prove that putting store credit into your family's rewards card does equal "stealing" for whatever else you are being accused of, since if someone makes a false factual statement about you, that may be defamation.
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