Plenty of Warning Signs - County Pays $7.2 million to Wife of Firefighter Killed by Coworker

"I'll be the judge of that!"

LA County will reportedly pay $7.2 million to the family of former LA County firefighter who was shot and killed by a coworker in 2021. The murder occurred after his coworker engaged in abusive and aggressive behavior towards the slain firefighter for over 2 years, with plenty of warning signs of abuse and violent tendencies which seemingly went ignored by his superiors. In this episode of the Job Judge, we discuss the need to take complaints seriously, the importance of investigations, early intervention and courageous leadership and the reality that abusers can sometimes play the victim, and the need for leaders to not always try to find common ground - sometimes there is only one person who is the problem and that person needs to be held accountable. In our "Ask the Job Judge" segment, Karen also addresses a viewer question about HR making her monitor employee bathroom breaks as a secretary and report bathroom usage findings.

The Job Judge Podcast is a podcast for anyone who works. This is not legal advice! Engaging and informative, it’s a must-listen/watch for any manager, business owner, HR professional, or anyone who works. Relying on three decades of experience as an employment law attorney and HR Executive, Karen Michael uses real case studies in the news and navigates through the legal landmines and workplace dysfunction that we know is probably happening right now in your organization.