DocketXDocketX / Suing a person, not just a company
Can I sue my boss personally, not just the company
Most employment lawsuits name the company as the defendant, which surprises people whose real complaint is about one specific person. The honest answer to whether you can sue that person individually depends entirely on the type of claim, your state, and that person's actual role, not on how badly they behaved. Every page here covers one piece of that picture.
Pick your situation
Can I sue a coworker
Whether the specific coworker who harassed you or made your workplace hostile can be named as a defe
Open →Can I sue an HR person personally
Whether an HR employee who mishandled your complaint, or was in on the mistreatment, can be sued ind
Open →Can I sue my boss for emotional distress
What it actually takes to win an intentional-infliction-of-emotional-distress claim against a boss,
Open →Can I sue my boss personally
Whether you can name your individual supervisor as a defendant, not just your employer, and why the
Open →Can I sue my boss under FMLA
Why the federal Family and Medical Leave Act defines 'employer' more broadly than discrimination law
Open →Can I sue my boss under Title VII
Why federal discrimination and harassment law almost always makes your employer, not your individual
Open →Can I sue my supervisor for defamation
When a supervisor's false statement about you, in a reference, a meeting, or to coworkers, crosses i
Open →Can I sue the owner for unpaid wages
Why wage-and-hour law often reaches owners and officers personally in a way discrimination law does
Open →Does my state let me sue my boss personally
Why a claim your federal case would dismiss against your supervisor personally might survive under y
Open →What is aiding and abetting discrimination liability
What 'aiding and abetting' liability means in employment law, and why it's the main legal path some
Open →What is respondeat superior
The legal doctrine that makes an employer liable for what an employee did on the job, and why it's t
Open →Talking to a lawyer costs nothing to start
A consultation is where the state-specific answer lives
Whether you can sue a specific person, and whether it is even worth it once you can, depends on your state, your claim, and that person's actual role, questions a free contingency consultation with an employment lawyer is built to answer. If cost is the worry at any stage, our can't-afford-a-lawyer triage covers every free and low-cost path, including legal aid. See also our employment guide and, if you are past the agency stage and heading to federal court, filing in federal court.
Not legal advice and not a law firm. We don't predict outcomes, and individual-liability rules vary by state and by claim in ways this page cannot settle for your specific situation, a free contingency consultation is the right next step to get a real answer. If you can get a lawyer or free legal aid, do: start at lsc.gov.