QUESTION: I was injured by a store associate. Can I sue the store company? ANSWER: An employer may be liable for an employee’s (or “ostensible employee’s”) tortious acts committed within the scope of the employment. This is under the doctrine of respondent superior which imposes vicarious (or derivative liability) upon the employer—i.e., it imputes the employee’s fault to the employer and thus makes the employer responsible in damages just as if he or she personally committed the tortious act.