Vicarious Liability

You run a trash disposal business. Your employees are supposed to pick up people's trash and then take it to the dump. However, one of your employees has been skipping the second step so that he can get home early. Instead of going to the dump, he just dumps the trash by the riverbank.

Over time, used diapers, half-eaten food, and other trash has been washing up on the beach. It's causing a scandal. You didn’t know that your employee was dumping by the river. However, the concept of vicarious liability might make your company at least partially responsible.

As an employer, you bear some responsibility for the things your employees do. You didn't do the wrongful dumping. Your company didn't instruct the employee to do them...but you still have some responsibility for the oversight of your staff members.