Ford Discusses Workplace Violence with KUHF

Jackie Ford, a partner in the Vorys Houston office and a member of the labor and employment group, was interviewed for a Houston Public Media (KUHF) story titled “Family of Man Killed in Workplace Shooting Sues Company for Negligence.”  The story focused on a lawsuit filed by the family of a man who was killed by a co-worker in his workplace.  According to the story, the lawsuit alleges that the company didn’t have adequate security.

The story states:

“Francisco Reyes was killed when a coworker opened fire in a Ben E. Keith food distribution warehouse in Missouri City. In a lawsuit filed in Harris County, his wife Michele Peña and mother Maria Louisa Reyes Ortega allege the company didn’t have adequate security, which allowed the employee to get in with a gun.

Houston attorney Jackie Ford specializes in employment law at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP. She’s not connected to the family’s case, but says that, in general, these kinds of lawsuits are hard to win because labor laws only require companies to keep employees safe from ‘foreseeable’ risks.

‘And it’s only foreseeable if very specific kinds of circumstances have happened to put the employer on notice of that,’ she says.”

To listen to the story, click here.