Man Claims His Former Boss Wrote 'Thief' On Paycheck After He Reported Wage Theft

Imagine getting a paycheck from your workplace and it has the word ‘thief’ written on it. This sounds unimaginable but recently a Reddit user claimed that their former boss wrote “thief” in the subject line of the check. This happened after the Reddit user reported the workplace for wage theft as they were being paid only 80 per cent of their wages. The Reddit user said it was “super awkward, unfair, and embarrassing” to collect the check from the Department of Labor as it had “thief” written on it. The person asked fellow Reddit users if “there is anything that can be done” about this petty act by the former boss.

This post has gone viral with over 35,000 upvotes and over 1,500 comments. In a follow-up comment, the Reddit user added, “Just wanted to add he wrote an email calling me a thief as well when I went to ask for my last paycheck. Said he wouldn’t pay. That’s why I filed the complaint.”

Many people asked the Reddit user to file a defamation case against his former employer. A person described the boss’ actions as defamatory and wrote, “This is libel. You’re being defamed.” Agreeing with this, another person wrote, “Totally agree. This is a written check that is unavoidably published to the depositing bank. They have written a false statement in an attempt to disparage your character. Get them in a deposition and explain why they wrote “thief”.”

Someone suggested the Reddit user expose the company and noted, “Turn it around. I would post it on social media and name the manager and thank them for acknowledging that they stole from you. You should not be embarrassed by what he wrote. You are the injured party and he’s mad that he didn’t get away with it. Recognise that it isn’t a reflection on you.”

Among the many calls of naming and shaming the company, some asked the Reddit user to practice caution and consult a real employment and labour rights lawyer. Making this point, a user mentioned, “As someone who has won back pay from a former employer as part of a class action lawsuit, PLEASE do not publicly put your former employer on blast without getting legal advice. Part of the terms for my lawsuit was that I could not defame or disparage my former employer or I would incur a penalty. Better to be safe than sorry.”