Debra Friedman, a member of Cozen O'Connor's Labor & Employment department, discusses ways to reduce risk of workplace violence on SHRM.org. The Safe Harbor for Reporting Violent Behavior Act (H.R. 4532), a bill introduced in the House of Representatives Feb. 11, seeks to make workplaces safer by creating a safe harbor from liability for employers that report about any violent behavior by a former employee to a potential employer. In addition, to take advantage of the bill’s safe harbor, “an employer must act in good faith and based on objectively reasonable suspicion,” noted Debra. “Accordingly, the bill does not shield employers from becoming embroiled in expensive, time-consuming litigation defending their actions as objectively reasonable and in good faith, although employers ultimately found to be immune from liability are entitled to recover from the employee all reasonable costs and attorneys’ fees.” 

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