Can my employer make me pay a fine that his store received?

Question

I was charged with furnishing a minor ( I work at a liquor store, didnt check an id, turns out to be an unage confidential police informant) I went to court, paid my fine, paid my attorney, and have it on my record. Two and a half months later my boss (the owner) tells me that I might have to pay the 1500+ dollar fine that the store gets as the liquor permit holder. Can he legally make me pay this fine?

Or any references to research this.

Answer 1

No, he can not legally make you pay the fine.

He can legally fire you for cause, which would stop you from collecting unemployment.

And he would probally have a case to sue you in civil court for the amount of the Store Fine.

Since your actions were illegal.

Answer 2

They can. I use to work at Big Y Super Martkets and a kid sold a minor that was a cop underaged beer. The store said that they could have made him pay an additional fine of over $1000, but since he had a perfect record for over 6 months, they just put him on probation for a year. The police gave him a citation or something and he dealt with that outside of store management. But the store could have made him fork up the dough if they wanted too.

Answer 3

Yes. I do not have references...just training. I received training when I was a cashier, and the video, put on by the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco, & Firearms) stated that they can hold you accountable not only for their fine, but if they are required not to sell alcohol for any time, they can hold you accountable for lost sales based on their average sales.

Add to this that the ATF gets to choose the timeframe that they shut down sales, so if the store has had problems in the past, they usually pick a time that includes a lot of drinking like SuperBowl Sunday or New Years.

Good luck!

Answer 4

From what I understand he can. I work at a convenience store and the owner informed all of us cashiers that after we took the "We ID" Class, if we sell a kid cigs without ID'ing them, we have to pay the fine from the local court, which was about $150 plus the fine to the store from the Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement people.

Answer 5

Its possible. You need to check with the police in the town where it happened. Then call the city administrator to find out if it is indeed permissable. These are 2 places in which the info will be free. If all else fails, call a lawyer and ask. There is good chance the lawyer will charge a lot less (than the $1500 fee) to answer your question and may even get interested in your case. Good luck!

Answer 6

I don't think so I work at a convenience store and that fine is to the store not to you. You already paid your fines. I would talk to someone or quit if they try to make you pay it. However I guess being the owner I guess he could do whatever he wants but anyone with any compassion wouldn't expect someone to pay their fines. I know someone who got busted for selling cigs to a minor and he got suspended but not made to pay the stores fines.

Answer 7

I dont know the laws of your state, but i was unable to charge an employee for a fine incurred because it was my responsibility to make sure he was fully trained to make sure he didn't break the law. But, if i put it in the employee handbook that he was responsible for it after he was trained, then i could have charged him for it.

Answer 8

Probably yes. Your best defense would be if you could prove the employer made no effort to train you in correctly checking ID.

Answer 9

Wouldn't that be HIS fine for hiring you and not enforcing the job that you needed to do. It was his fault for not checking and making sure you do what you're supposed to do. Did he ever tell you that you would be responsible for the fine the store got? That's crap.

Answer 10

I'm not sure what the law is - you'll have to check with your state - but it sounds pretty reasonable to me. It was your fault the fine was incurred, so it's only fair that you should pay it.