Law Commons^™

Job Reference Immunity Statutes: Prevalent But Irrelevant, Markita D. Cooper

Journal Publications

This Article posits that current reference immunity statutes are of little use in encouraging employers to provide references. Although legislation ostensibly protects employers in most states, "name, rank and serial number," "no-comment," and neutral reference policies continue to prevail as standard practice regarding job references. Generally, the existing statutes leave the common law in place, so that reference claims may be adjudicated under statutory standards and common law standards. This Article proposes that the field would be clarified if the statutes were the exclusive law governing liability for job reference claims under state law.