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Let's assume he denies this, which is a likely scenario. This puts me in a tough spot. The logician in me wants to agree with you. From her description, it w

by DevX101 16y ago

Let's assume he denies this, which is a likely scenario. This puts me in a tough spot. The logician in me wants to agree with you. From her description, it was a secluded section of the bar so no one else probably saw. It would be her word against his. On the other hand, I believe her. As far as I know she has no motive to falsely claim this against him. Also important, tens of thousands will read this story and most of them will believe her too. The company may face pressure for me to act. Do I throw my employee under the bus, on the basis of my judgment of her statement? I still don't know the answer but I don't think it's clear cut either way.

cperciva 16y ago
... It would be her word against his. At that point you'd have to make a judgement call. If someone is being publicly accused of a sexual assault which he denies too place but doesn't show any interest in launching a libel suit, that makes me rather suspicious. On the other hand, if he files a libel suit, or if criminal charges are filed against him, it seems reasonable to step back and let the courts decide what happened. I'm not saying that I have a good answer for all possible situations, only that I know that I'd start by listening to both sides. The company may face pressure for me to act. Do I throw my employee under the bus, on the basis of my judgment of her statement? You're really asking two questions there. Is it reasonable to fire someone based on your judgement of what happened? Quite possibly. Is it reasonable to fire someone based on public pressure alone? I would say absolutely not -- but I come from an academic background, and I feel the greatest moments of academic history have been when universities have defended their faculty against public opinion. Most CEOs would probably throw an employee under a bus at the first hint of public pressure.
- jpr 16y ago
  If not pressing libel charges makes you suspicious, doesn't not pressing sexual assault charges make you suspicious too? If I were the guy and not guilty, I wouldn't really be all too interested in pressing charges, mostly because I'm too lazy and I hate lawyers etc. EDIT: Now that I think of it, actually I would probably end pressing charges, but my initial reaction would be that of "wtf, why do I have to summon lawyers because someone did something stupid", with emphasis on the wtf.
  - cperciva 16y ago
    If not pressing libel charges makes you suspicious, doesn't not pressing sexual assault charges make you suspicious too? Somewhat, but the contexts are a bit different. Victims of sexual assault often decline to press charges because testifying about assaults can be traumatic (and even more so being cross-examined). Many simply want to hide and pretend that nothing ever happened. In contrast, people who are wrongfully accused of crimes tend to shout their innocence from the rooftops.

by DevX101 16y ago

cperciva 16y ago

... It would be her word against his. At that point you'd have to make a judgement call. If someone is being publicly accused of a sexual assault which he denies too place but doesn't show any interest in launching a libel suit, that makes me rather suspicious. On the other hand, if he files a libel suit, or if criminal charges are filed against him, it seems reasonable to step back and let the courts decide what happened. I'm not saying that I have a good answer for all possible situations, only that I know that I'd start by listening to both sides. The company may face pressure for me to act. Do I throw my employee under the bus, on the basis of my judgment of her statement? You're really asking two questions there. Is it reasonable to fire someone based on your judgement of what happened? Quite possibly. Is it reasonable to fire someone based on public pressure alone? I would say absolutely not -- but I come from an academic background, and I feel the greatest moments of academic history have been when universities have defended their faculty against public opinion. Most CEOs would probably throw an employee under a bus at the first hint of public pressure.

jpr 16y ago
If not pressing libel charges makes you suspicious, doesn't not pressing sexual assault charges make you suspicious too? If I were the guy and not guilty, I wouldn't really be all too interested in pressing charges, mostly because I'm too lazy and I hate lawyers etc. EDIT: Now that I think of it, actually I would probably end pressing charges, but my initial reaction would be that of "wtf, why do I have to summon lawyers because someone did something stupid", with emphasis on the wtf.
- cperciva 16y ago
  If not pressing libel charges makes you suspicious, doesn't not pressing sexual assault charges make you suspicious too? Somewhat, but the contexts are a bit different. Victims of sexual assault often decline to press charges because testifying about assaults can be traumatic (and even more so being cross-examined). Many simply want to hide and pretend that nothing ever happened. In contrast, people who are wrongfully accused of crimes tend to shout their innocence from the rooftops.