4.24.730 - Liability immunity--Disclosure of employee information to prospective employer. - Washington Statutes

Liability immunity — Disclosure of employee information to prospective employer.

(1) An employer who discloses information about a former or current employee to a prospective employer, or employment agency as defined by RCW 49.60.040, at the specific request of that individual employer or employment agency, is presumed to be acting in good faith and is immune from civil and criminal liability for such disclosure or its consequences if the disclosed information relates to: (a) The employee's ability to perform his or her job; (b) the diligence, skill, or reliability with which the employee carried out the duties of his or her job; or (c) any illegal or wrongful act committed by the employee when related to the duties of his or her job.

     (2) The employer should retain a written record of the identity of the person or entity to which information is disclosed under this section for a minimum of two years from the date of disclosure. The employee or former employee has a right to inspect any such written record upon request and any such written record shall become part of the employee's personnel file, subject to the provisions of chapter 49.12 RCW.

     (3) For the purposes of this section, the presumption of good faith may only be rebutted upon a showing by clear and convincing evidence that the information disclosed by the employer was knowingly false, deliberately misleading, or made with reckless disregard for the truth.

[2005 c 103 § 1.]