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Game Show Employee Rights?

By James Peters

Apparently there is a new game show out called “Moment of Truth” that gives contestants a lie detector test before the show and then the host asks them the same questions on the air. If the contestant’s answer on the air is different from the results of the polygraph, they lose (up to $500,000).

Questions include topics such as whether the contestant has cheated on their spouse, wishes to cheat on their spouse, has various addictions and other very personal areas.

I have no idea who would volunteer to go on this show, especially after knowing the questions in advance. If you know that you could be about to reveal on national television that you cheated on your spouse, why would you go through with it?

Employment Law Issues

I want to clarify that I myself have never actually seen the show, because the ads alone made me cringe. However, an article yesterday on CNNMoney.com questioned the employment law implications for those who go on the show and may be disciplined at work for what is revealed.

Past questions have included whether a personal trainer ever touches female clients more than necessary. He answered “no,” but apparently the lie detector revealed that the true answer was “yes“. On the same episode, a contestant admitted to looking through their co-workers’ desks.

CNN Got Bad Legal Advice

Unfortunately for the author of the CNN article, the attorneys he spoke to gave extremely bad legal advice when asked whether employers could legally discipline these employees based on the show.

The responses from the lawyers included that the information would be “fair game” for discipline and that “It would be neither illegal nor unfair” to do so.

However, these answers are just plain wrong. The Employee Polygraph Protection Act (29 USC 2001-2009) specifically makes it illegal to:

discharge, discipline, discriminate against in any manner, or deny employment or promotion to, or threaten to take such action against…any employee or prospective employee on the basis of the results of any lie detector test.”

There is no requirement that the employer itself administer the test and any employer who violates this law is liable to the employee for lost wages, benefits, costs, attorney’s fees, and a $10,000 civil penalty.

It Could Happen

It is not unprecedented for an employee to be terminated from a job for what they say or do on a TV show. For example, on the second season of The Apprentice, one of the candidates was terminated (from her “real life” job, not by Trump) for describing some elderly women as “two old Jewish ladies”.

If an employee is “caught” in a lie on Moment of Truth and the employer terminates the employee for it, then it would be a clear violation of the prohibition of adverse action “on the basis of the results of any lie detector test”.

Should it be legal to terminate an employee for essentially admitting on national TV that he likes to touch his female clients a little too much? Probably.

Is it legal? No.

Discrimination | Privacy | Wrongful Termination

Related Posts

• Q&A: Annual Bonus Not Necessarily Lost When Terminated
• Q&A: Termination for Getting Pregnant is Illegal
• Q&A: Retaliation by Jerk Boss is Illegal
• Q&A: Electronic Surveillance at Work Often Illegal

Full post as published by California Employee Rights Blog on February 06, 2008 (boomark / email).