If I run a home care agency and have been contacted by the family to say medecine is missing, can I search the live-in caregiver’s belongings before she leaves the home?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
If I run a home care agency and have been contacted by the family to say medecine is missing, can I search the live-in caregiver’s belongings before she leaves the home?
What are my legal rights? I want to see if she took the pills.
Asked on May 24, 2015 under Business Law, Illinois
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 9 years ago | Contributor
No, you may not. One private person may not search the person or belongings of another without that person's consent. If you do so, you will have committed one or more crimes (for example, touching her without her consent while searching her pockets or handbag is assault; it is a form of property crime to go through her not-on-person belongings without her permission). You can ask her to let you search, but may not do so without permission.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.