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I was let go almost 2 years ago and my old employer is still sending emails, as though they were from me, to my old customers. Is that legal?

Daniel Johnson
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  • While the ethics of their doing this are quite questionable, they actually "own" your email address that is associated with their company domain. In other words, they can do this. – jwh20 Apr 15 '22 at 14:05
  • @jwh20 Perhaps so, but can you cite law or case law that says so? – David Siegel Apr 15 '22 at 15:06
  • No, that's why it's a comment and not an answer. – jwh20 Apr 15 '22 at 16:22
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    @jwh20, it might depend on where the OP and the company are. When they use the email to send messages, and not just forward incoming messages to customer service, they are pretending that the OP still works there. – o.m. Apr 15 '22 at 17:34

1 Answers1

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It’s not, and never was, your email address

And, incidentally, the emails sent and received by it are not your emails. They all belong to your employer.

For a time, they allowed you to use it. Now, someone else is using it. No laws are being broken.

However, if they are using it in such away to create the impression that you still work there or in a way that damages your reputation then we are heading into fraud and defamation territory respectively. The first is none of your business, that’s between your ex-employer and whoever they are sending emails to. The second you can bring suit over.

Dale M
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  • Most corporate email addresses are based on the name of the employee, so the last paragraph almost certainly applies. – Acccumulation Apr 16 '22 at 04:20
  • @Acccumulation actually... numerically, most are Position/department@company.domain – Trish Apr 16 '22 at 18:17
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    @Trish Any cite for that? I wouldn't be surprised that most external emails are from that sort of address, but I would be surprised by this being the majority of addresses. – Acccumulation Apr 16 '22 at 18:48
  • @Acccumulation technically... anything@company.domain is a valid e-mail, just most servers are set up to flat out refuse such mail. that nonsense mails are the absolute largest namespace... but as said, most are outright refused. – Trish Apr 16 '22 at 19:02
  • @Trish I have never had an e-mail address based on anything other than my name. Does your e-mail address change every time your title changes? – phoog Apr 17 '22 at 16:13
  • @phoog My work email address is just my employee number. There's also an email that is redirected to me which is my job title and I get the mails to my department, and the company wide ones that are just addressed to *All.keyword@company.domain" – Trish Apr 17 '22 at 17:31