Does my supervisor have the right to open my flash drive without my permission and delete proprietary documents?

Does my supervisor have the right to open my flash drive without my permission and delete proprietary documents?

I was recently terminated from a position as a technical writer for reasons other than misconduct. When I submitted my employee badge to the human resources representative, I neglected to remove a flash drive attached to it that contained copies of all the documents I completed while employed there. The human resources representative gave the flash drive to my supervisor, who, in turn, left it for me at the company’s front desk. I retrieved the flash drive this afternoon. When I returned home and opened it on my personal computer, I discovered that all the documents I had completed for company had been deleted as well as some information that was not work related. While the documents were not classified, I suppose they were proprietary. Does my supervisor have the right to open my flash drive without my permission and delete those documents and do I have any legal recourse?

Asked on February 17, 2012 under Employment Labor Law, Virginia

Answers:

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