Emerging Trends and Issues

You have noticed that an increase in negligence lawsuits has occurred in your industry. The majority of these negligence lawsuits involved employee negligence. Because employers can be held responsible for the negligent acts of their employees, you decide that you want to conduct a department meeting to review the importance of following policies and procedures to avoid situations in which the company can be sued for negligence.

Prepare a handout detailing the following information that you plan on discussing during the meeting, including the following:

•Identify and discuss the 4 elements of negligence.
•Define respondeat superior, and discuss why this is an important legal concept of which employers should be aware.
•Research, cite, and summarize a legal case involving respondeat superior.
•Provide your opinion on whether you believe it is fair to hold employers responsible for the negligent acts of their employees.