If my wife used her company card for a personal expense but when the bill came in she promptly paid it, can she be fired for this?

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If my wife used her company card for a personal expense but when the bill came in she promptly paid it, can she be fired for this?

She was stuck at a long line and we had had some issues with identity theft so from time to time her card would simply not work.

Asked on June 7, 2012 under Employment Labor Law, Pennsylvania

Answers:

SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 11 years ago | Contributor

Yes, she could be fired for this: even if at the end of the day, no harm was done (e.g. your wife paid everything), if she personally or employees generally did not have permission to use company cards for personal expenses, she misappropriated company resources. This is no different from taking your neighbor's car without permission for an urgent errand--even if you top off the case tank and take it through the car wash so it's in as good or better shape when you returned it, you still violated the law by using another's property withhout permission.

If you wife does not have an employment contract, she is an employee at will and could be fired at any time, for any reason. But even if she did have an employment contract, using a company card for personal expenses would most likely constitute lawful grounds for termination.

 


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