Help Wanted: Worker lies about personal life

They wonder if her personal life bears any weight on her job qualifications. Should she be confronted? Should her supervisor be advised, or should my daughter and her co-workers ignore this information? -- Double Identity

"This is the type of thing most bosses would want to know, since major-league liars are often not perfectly trustworthy in their work," said Richard Kass, a partner at Bond, Schoeneck & King in Manhattan.

But the school may not be able to do anything, he said.

"Because the employer is a governmental entity, and a union is probably involved, the boss might not be able to fire the employee for lying about her private life, but the background information might still be appreciated," Kass said.

Some lawyers might caution against notifying the boss, since the liar could sue the informant for defamation, he said. But winning such a lawsuit could be a long shot, he said.

"It would be very difficult for the liar to pursue a defamation lawsuit because she would have to show that the report about her was false, and that it was made maliciously and not for any legitimate business reason," he said.

The overtime regulations apply to nonexempt workers, which generally means hourly employees. Under federal law they must earn at least one and one-half times their regular hourly rate for every hour worked over 40 in a workweek.

For more on overtime and federal and state labor laws, go to http://1.usa.gov/SWzvZo and http://bit.ly/QJuVLc