Chapter 3 Flashcards
What obligations or rights do employees have in fraud investigations?
- Individuals have an obligation to cooperate w/ employers or be subject to dismissal
- Federal and state law protect emplyees who report improper acts of their employers
Rights during Employees Interview
- If nonpublic entity conducting interview, an employee has no right to have a lawyer present and no due process of the law
- Rights altered via employement contracts, and various nondiscrimination statutes
Common Law Protections w/ Regard to Interview
- Minimization of Invasion of empoyee’s privacy
- Limitation on content of employee duties and respo
- Limitation on public disclosure of employee’s private facts
- Limitation on intentional inflication of emotional distress
- Limitations on defamation
- Duty to deal fairly and in good faith
- No false imprisonment
Rules about Confessions
To be valid, they must be deemed voluntary and small deceptions are permitted
-Can’t be coerced, promises by interviewer of leniency can nullify a confession
Rules about Searches
Public employers not required to obtain a search warrant to conduct workplace seraches for investigations of work place misconduct
When is a Workplace Search Reasonable?
Likely to reveal evidence of work misconduct & necessary to further investigate
Workplace Search Limitations
Exclusive Control: Limited to the property the company owns/controls - gen property employee has no reasonable expectation of privacy within
Public Employers duties when Discharging a Suspected Wrongdoer
Governed by stricter standard, employer rights depend on the jurisdiction of operation
Private Employers duties when Discharging a Suspected Wrongdoer
- Allowed bc employment as will
- Document a good cause: conduct against written policy, conduct unsafe for ops, punishment fits crime, evidence supported
- Actions well documented
- Employer can still be sued in civil court
What is Attorney-Client Privilege? What does it not protect?
Right to not disclose confidential communication relating to professional relationship - client can compel non disclosure
* Applies to communications intended to be confidential
* Does not permit attorney to conceal physical evidence and does not apply to future acts of crime
What is Attorney Work-Product Privilege?
Protects all materials prepared by an attorney in anticipation of litigations
* Materials that would disclose attorney’s theory of the case
* Any written materials in prep of case
* Must be prepared in anticipation of litigation
How do companies maintain attorney client privileges when investigating fraud?
Audit committee gets their external legal counsel to hire a fraud examiner instead of directly hiring
What othe privileges exist and what do they protect?
health, relationship, misc
Physician-Patient Privilege: confidential when obtaining treatment or diagnosis - privilege is waived in litigation
Marital Priveleges: spousal immunity - protect from testifying against own spouse, Spusal defendent- protection from adverse testimony, covers statements during marriage
Miscellaneous: Confidential communications made to clergy, gov protected from disclosure of senstive info disclosure, trade secrets for business
No accountant-client privileges
Daubert’s Standard: Test of Admissibility of Expert Testimony
1.Whether theory or technique can be and has been tested
2.Whether subject to peer review and publication
3. Its known or potential error rate
4. Existence & Maintenance of standards controlling its op
5. Whether it has attracted widespready acceptance within a relevant scientific community
What is Probable Cause Needed for?
- To make an arres
- To conduct a search
- To obtain a warrant
- For grand juries
What are the 3 classifications on the Culpability Scale?
1. Witness: A person not suspected of the crime
**2. Subject: **may have unethical behavior & potentially involved but not involved enough to be judged criminally
3. Target: Believed to stand >50% probability of being criminally charged
What are the two main types of evidence?
Real Evidence: Speaks for itself and is authenticated
Demonstrative Evidence: Purpose is to educate, summarize, or amplify real evidence
- tells a story , must not create prejudice
- heart of forensic accounting
5 Considerations for Documentary Evidence
1. Documents must not be forged
2. OG documents preferred
3. Document may not be hearsay or objectionable
4. Documents must be authenticated
5. Document must be reliable
Best Evidence Rules
Allows copies to be presented at trial under certain circumstances
What is chain of custody and why is it necessary?
Evidence
Individuals who had posession of physicial evidence and what they did with it, ensures integrity of evidence
- Not that important for civil disputes bc documents transferred among parties during discovery
What is Testimonial evidence and relevance of hearsay?
Person testifies what they saw, to be valid must testify based on his or her own experience
Hearsay: a statement made other than those made during legal proceedings - not admissible - must hear from the person who made the statement
Steps in Criminal Justice Syste
- Sufficient evidence to bring case to trial
- Indictment stage: Defendent is officially charged
- Arraignment hearing: Defendent is informed of crime and charges and advise of right
* D asked to enter plea: Guilty, Not Guilty, NOLO Contenderence
* Pursued by gov on behalf society
What cases go to the Civil Justice System?
Purpose: To recover losses and possibly reap punitive damages, right a wrong
* Torts, breach of contract, negligence, misrepresentations
Where are Civil cases handled?
Most in state court in jurisdiction of the plaintiff or defendent
- Can go to a federal court for larger cases that are multijuridictional or involving > $75k