Judge gets even with local hotel owner for telling worker he'll fire him if he attends jury duty: ‘You can’t fire him because I say so'

Author image for Eleonora Bader
Eleonora Bader
Apr 2, 2024 12:00 AM EDT

Don't mess with a judge.

Bosses think they can get away with anything, and technically, they can get away with a lot, but they can't get away with messing with a judge. The person who attempted this was a hotel owner who told his maintenance worker that he was to do 'whatever it takes' to get out of jury duty. He then promptly told the worker that if he failed to do so, he would be fired. The worker was fine with serving, but he was scared of losing his job, so when he was called up to court, he told the judge the truth… that the owner of the hotel had threatened to fire him. That did not go over well with the judge, to say the least.

The hotel owner ended up regretting ever having said something… Check out below exactly why. Then, for more stories like this one, here is a tale of a landlord who entered their tenant's apartment while they were at work. They took everything in the fridge and put it on the counter, leaving it out to be spoiled.

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  • 01
    "Get out of jury duty, or you're fired."
    via Canva
  • 02
    Owner refused to let me do jury duty MOC This was back in the 80's, my first job, working as maintenance man at a local hotel. I'd been working there part time since I was 16 and when I turned 18, I got a notice to attend jury duty. I picked a week and I let my boss know. The owner of the hotel found out (he was always a completely unreasonable j k to all the employees) and sees me in the hallway and tells me that I need to do "whatever it takes" to get out of jury duty because he needs me at th
    via u/ProgressiveBadger
  • 03
    When I get to jury duty, day 1, I get selected to a week- long trial, and the judge asks jurors if there's any reason we cannot serve on the jury. They go around... When they get to me, I'm nervous, never been in court before and too scared to lie. I tell the judge that the owner of the business I work at will fire me if I'm not back today and said I needed to do everything I can to get out of jury duty or I'm fired, other than that I'm fine serving. The judge looks ped.
    via u/ProgressiveBadger
  • 04
    The judge has me approach the bench, asks for the name of the owner, location, etc. Then he hands the court officer a paper and says something to the officer. (the judge still looks p d) I'm told to return to the jury box. About an hour later (still selecting a jury), the officer returns with the owner, visibly shaken, in handcuffs and walked to the front of the judges bench. The owner is standing in front of the judge. The judge asks him questions which he apologetically tries to worm out of. T
    via u/ProgressiveBadger
  • 05
    charges and will be instructing the clerk to check with me regularly and if, for any reason, I am fired or face any disciplinary action at work - he will hold the owner in contempt, violation of a court order, etc (a bunch of legal stuff) and he will spend time behind bars thinking about how important jury duty is. Then the judge makes him apologize to me, in court! I made it onto the jury and I served the week. I reported back to work the following week. I expected some blowback, but I never go
    via u/ProgressiveBadger
  • 06
    changed and I got paid for my time in jury - I didn't ask why I got paid. The clerk did check back a few times and I was told to call the judges clerk direct phone number if anything happened. It was awesome, I was pretty much bullet-proof and worked until I saved enough to go back to school.
    via u/ProgressiveBadger
  • 07
    Texas Yankee212 • 3 yr. ago This happened where I live. Some "exec" fired a woman for going to jury duty because it was "important" that the employee stay at work to produce some press release for the company. When the lady went to jury duty and was visibly upset, the judge got the story and sent county deputies who dragged that exec out of the office in handcuffs. The exec got a good lesson in civics, the lady got her job back (but I think she declined), and got another job pretty quickly. 4.8k
    via u/TexasYankee212
  • 08
    crypticthree 3 yr. ago This kinda ト es off judges in a big way. Do not, S off a judge. It will not go well for you. 8.0k Reply Share Jukka_Sarasti ⚫ 3 yr. ago edited 3 yr. ago I saw this play out once while waiting to see if I'd be placed in a jury pool. The judge who was presiding over the initial swearing in asked that anyone in attendance who had a valid reason they couldn't be a juror come forward and state their case. Several people come forward, and one of them says "I was told by my
    via u/crypticthree, u/Jukka_Sarasti
  • 09
    manager that I'd lose my job if I got jury duty" and was visibly distraught. The judge paused, then asked "Where do you work, who is your boss, and what is your bosses' phone number?". It was a fairly large HVAC company in our area that spams commercials on the local TV stations. She takes the info, hands it to a bailiff and says "Please bring me this man" and the bailiff walks away.. I ended up being dismissed about 20 minutes later, but I wish I'd been able to stick around for the show. 2.7k R
    via u/Jukka_Sarasti
  • 10
    inherentinsignia • 3 yr. ago Lmao the powerrrr. "Bring me this man.' Love it. 2.1k Reply Share Jukka Sarasti 3 yr. ago I've been called for jury duty 3 times over the last 12 years or so and it's an experience(Jax, FL folks will know..). The same guy has been the Emcee every time and he helps make the experience much less of a drag. He actually warned us on this occasion that the presiding judge was not to be
    via u/inherentinsignia, u/Jukka_Sarasti
  • 11
    trifled with. My employer provides me with paid time off to appear, so it's no trouble for me, but I know other employers aren't as generous. 732 Reply Share Kvothe_Kingslaya 3 yr. ago edited 3 yr. ago I'd imagine Florida juries must be far more entertaining than most. Edit: Jury Duy, though the jurors & judges themselves may be wild 325 Reply Share
    via u/Kvothe_Kingslaya
  • 12
    MNConcerto 3 yr. ago Was called to jury duty a few years ago. One poor guy also in the pool worked nights, he couldn't afford to take off. Judge saw him having a hard time staying awake, asked him a few questions and excused from jury duty. The judge called down to the jury room and told the clerk that this jury member had served his week and was marked excused. I enjoyed watching this judge in action. She was firm but kind when needed. 3.8k Reply Share
    via u/MNConcerto
  • 13
    [deleted] 3 yr. ago Oof yeah I work 2:30pm-1am and sleep like a rock most nights until about 11am. I had jury duty one week and had to show up at 6am for selection. I was so tired I was nodding off while waiting and the guy next to me had to keep waking me up. The judge noticed and I explained that I worked nights and could still do the trial as my employer was great about excusing workers for things like jury duty or national guard service, but I'd be very tired for a few days while my sleep sc
    via u/deleted
  • 14
    greyharettv 3 yr. ago You did the right thing. Business owners have to realize sooner or later that it is illegal to do what your boss did. Good on ya. 1.4k Reply Share KP_Wrath 3 yr. ago My HR has an immense respect for civic service, so it's automatically paid, no hassle. I think they'd at least ask me to try to explain that I'm mission critical (they don't have a replacement right now, and my boss doesn't know enough yet to be a backup). 426 Reply Share
    via u/greharettv, u/KP_Wrath
  • 15
    Ron_F n_Swanson 3 yr. ago Nobody enjoyed this entire ordeal more than that judge This is probably a story he tells dinner guests while laughing his s off 1.8k Reply Share ... aisle_nine 3 yr. ago Yeah, judges are some of the most (rightfully) sadistic people on the planet. They absolutely love making people who deserve to stain their undies do so. 623 Reply Share
    via u/Ron_Fn_Swanson, u.aisle_nine
  • 16
    morgan423 3 yr. ago I love when bad business owners and bosses tell you that you won't be serving jury duty. No, dingus, I'm legally compelled to appear in court when summoned there. I'm not getting arrested and charged just to pull some extra shifts for you. See you once it's over. 356 Reply Share
    via u/morgan423
  • 17
    tonysnark81 3 yr. ago The last time I got called in to jury duty, I worked in a legal office. I happened to get called into the courthouse just a mile from the office, and actually got put into a pool for a m der trial. Before anything interesting happened, I was chatting with an older woman who was a lawyer herself, and knew my boss. She's the one who said I should make sure to name him, as apparently, he had a bit of a reputation in the courthouse.
    via u/tonysnark81
  • 18
    When the judge asked for reasons why we couldn't serve, the woman next to me said she was a lawyer herself, and was immediately excused. They came to me, and I said I work in a legal office, that my boss didn't pay for jury duty, and when they asked where, I told them. The judge nodded, then smiled. "I know him. He's a cheap son of a gun. Excused." 1.6k Reply Share
    via u/tonysnark81
  • 19
    Revwog1974. 3 yr. ago · edited 3 yr. ago I just called my father who is a retired judge, read this to him, and he said the judge in the story went overboard and may have overstepped his authority. Dad also laughed so hard at your story he cried. I reminded my dad of the time a lawyer claimed he wasn't ready for trial on the day the trial was scheduled. When the lawyer refused to proceed, Dad held him in contempt of court and had him taken into custody and the lawyer went to jail for the night. S
    via u/Revwog1974
  • 20
    . Desertgirl81 3 yr. ago The first time I was summoned for jury duty I had just started a job (as a lawyer) with a government agency. All my co-workers were envious because they'd always wanted to be on a jury, so they asked me to take notes on my experience. A number of other attorneys were in the jury pool but we were all dismissed right after we mentioned our jobs. The only non-attorney to be let go was a woman who told the judge, “I work for the defendant so I assume you don't want me." He s
    via u/Desertgirl81

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boss worker judge maintenance hotel workplace stories reddit court local young work shifts jury duty local hotel malicious compliance reddit hotel owner
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