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Vicarious liability is the legal concept that an employer can be held civilly responsible for harm caused by its employees when those actions occur within the scope of employment. The employer doesn’t have to have acted wrongfully itself; the relationship and the level of control over the employee’s work create the basis for accountability. For this liability to apply, the employee’s conduct must be connected to the job and occur during the course and scope of employment. This differs from direct liability, where the employer is at fault through its own actions, and from negligence, which centers on failing to exercise reasonable care. Criminal liability involves criminal conduct and punishment, not civil damages, so it sits in a different realm. A practical example is when an employee causes an accident while performing job duties with a company vehicle—the employer can bear the civil damages under vicarious liability.