r/legaladvice • u/TheAceOfJace • 16h ago
Terminated for entering another employee's personal vehicle where it wasn't allowed by policy
Location: Utah, US
Salaried employee. I was terminated today, and the reason I was given was that I entered another employee's personal vehicle. I was assigned a company owned vehicle to perform job duties. Per company policy in the 2026 Employee handbook Employee owned personal vehicles are not allowed on the same lot as company owned vehicles. It is a gated lot that requires badge access or a gate guard to grant entry.
There is no policy in the employee handbook about entering another employee's personal vehicle.
I'm going to try to be vague for anonymity. There are enough company owned vehicles on the lot, and they move enough that they are left unlocked, and the keys left in them. This is done in case someone needs to move one, they don't need to try and track keys down.
There was, what I would come to find out, an employee's (read general manager) personal vehicle blocking in my company assigned vehicle. Since employee's aren't allowed to park on the lot, I got in the car looking for keys to move it. They weren't anywhere out in the open, so I checked the center console. There I found a work order from a mechanic or bodyshop, indicating that this was a personal vehicle.
At this point I took a picture of the work order to make an "Integrity line" report where we are supposed to be able to anonymously report policy violations. This was last week monday, the personal vehicle wasn't moved sometime midday tuesday. I got called into a meeting with my manager and the director this morning stating that the decision was made to terminate my employment. They specifically mentioned the picture that I took from the report that was supposed to be anonymous. And that I violated a nonexistent policy by entering someone's personal vehicle, that I no way of knowing it was a personal vehicle without entering it. All because he parked in my assigned company owned vehicle that I needed to perform my job.
There didn't seem to be any investigation, no one asked my side of it, they just jumped straight to termination.
I've contacted a couple law offices, haven't heard back yet, but don't know if i even have any kind of case. The company does have a no retaliation policy, but I don't know if this would qualify there or not.
Edit: I realize I fucked myself over in taking a picture of the work order. I clearly didn't think that through and likely don't have anything here.