A convicted felon recently tried to sue a potential employer for refusing to hire her based on her criminal past, but she wasn’t successful — and for good reason. While trying to argue that convicts should be allowed to “explain themselves” to potential employers who see their criminal records, the foolish woman revealed the very reason why this isn’t a good idea: She got caught lying. Nonetheless, her story is making media headlines and creating the debate surrounding the working rights of convicts, but there really shouldn’t be a debate at all. Employers and business owners should certainly have the right to protect their customers, their other employees and their money from people who have committed violent crimes and theft.
Bloomberg Law reports that Ria Schumacher attempted to sue a company that rescinded its employment offer upon running a background check on her — a background check which revealed that she was a convicted murderer who had also done prison time for robbery. Her reason for suing was that she felt that she was owed the right to explain her case and tell “her side of the story” to the employer before they made the decision to not hire her. However, it was quickly revealed by the company in question that Schumacher lied to them right out the gate when they directly asked her if she’d been convicted of any felonies. In other words, the convicted felon was given the opportunity to tell the truth — and possibly explain herself — but she chose to be dishonest from the very beginning. And when the company found out she was lying and then — rightfully — chose not to hire her, she retaliated by taking them to court because she felt entitled to another opportunity to spin the details of her convictions after lying about the felonies in the first place. If that sounds stupid to you, it’s because it is.
The lawsuit initiated by Ria Schumacher was an obvious exercise in buffoonery by someone with a history of making dishonest choices — and that is exactly why her lawsuit failed. It’s also exactly why convicted felons — of certain crimes — can’t really be trusted to explain themselves or tell “their side of the story” to potential employers.
Chelsea Hoffman is a true crime writer with over a decade of professional writing experience. She is best known for her coverage of missing people including the tragic disappearance of Madeleine McCann as well as the heartbreaking cases of Dylan Redwine, Heather Elvis and many others.
