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Background Checks: Handle with Care!

By Kevin C. McCormick
April 28, 2008

Many employers routinely conduct background checks on applicants and employees to verify their prior employment history. Oftentimes, an outside service is used to obtain the critical information and then provide a brief analysis as to its significance.

However, as demonstrated in a decision from the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, both the employer and outside contractor can be sued for defamation if the search is not conducted properly and the employer, in reliance on that information, takes an adverse action against the individual, i.e., fires him or her. Let us take a closer look at how this problem developed.

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