Expert: Dan Pepper - 6/30/2008

Question
I have a work email account that by boss linked to my personal account. A few months after I quit, he hacked into the account and deleted all of my emails and contacts. He was able to obtain access because my password was stored on my work computer. In addition to deleting my information, he also setup auto-replies with the signature rotten pussy, and changed my name to the same so everyone who had emailed me before I noticed the change got this as a response. He has admitted to doing all of this over email. I live in Washington, DC, do I have any legal recourse and if so what is my best option.

Answer
This is a complex situation, as employers typically have full access rights to employees' work email, and employees generally should not have expectations of privacy with respect to this email.  However, I would need to know if this company had an employee policy manual, or something similar, that may have altered this premise.

You also have not indicated where the employer is based, so I don't know if there are state laws that may apply to your situation.