{"id":8060,"date":"2025-04-02T15:22:17","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T13:22:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.avocat-desrumaux.fr\/an-employee-keeps-his-phone-line-after-he-leaves-what-can-the-employer-do\/"},"modified":"2025-04-17T15:52:32","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T13:52:32","slug":"an-employee-keeps-his-phone-line-after-he-leaves-what-can-the-employer-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.avocat-desrumaux.fr\/en\/an-employee-keeps-his-phone-line-after-he-leaves-what-can-the-employer-do\/","title":{"rendered":"An employee keeps his phone line after he leaves: what can the employer do?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"8060\" class=\"elementor elementor-8060 elementor-7615\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f3d1d70 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"f3d1d70\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;content_width&quot;:&quot;boxed&quot;}\" data-core-v316-plus=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-35bdf12 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"35bdf12\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"525\" height=\"350\" src=\"https:\/\/www.avocat-desrumaux.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/professional_man_phone_compressed.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-7620\" alt=\"un salari\u00e9 conserve sa ligne t\u00e9l\u00e9phonique\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.avocat-desrumaux.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/professional_man_phone_compressed.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.avocat-desrumaux.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/professional_man_phone_compressed-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f96a44 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"1f96a44\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;content_width&quot;:&quot;boxed&quot;}\" data-core-v316-plus=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-07760e3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"07760e3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"\" data-start=\"486\" data-end=\"768\">When an employee leaves the company, the return of the equipment provided is not usually a problem. However, there is a <strong data-start=\"623\" data-end=\"648\">real legal risk<\/strong> when an employee <strong data-start=\"682\" data-end=\"732\">keeps the business telephone line<\/strong>, sometimes without the employer&#8217;s knowledge. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"770\" data-end=\"901\">The French Supreme Court recently issued a useful clarification on this point in a ruling dated <strong data-start=\"863\" data-end=\"900\">February 5, 2025 (no. 22-23.730 F-D)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"903\" data-end=\"967\"><strong data-start=\"907\" data-end=\"967\">The case in point: a personally transferred line<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"969\" data-end=\"1231\">A dismissed sales manager returns his work phone&#8230; but <strong data-start=\"1047\" data-end=\"1095\">has the line transferred to his personal name<\/strong>, without authorization. The company, anxious to regain control of this customer communication channel, brought the matter before the summary proceedings judge. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1233\" data-end=\"1317\">The <strong data-start=\"1236\" data-end=\"1252\">Court of Appeal<\/strong>, then the <strong data-start=\"1262\" data-end=\"1283\">Court of Cassation<\/strong>, ruled in favor of the employer:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"1318\" data-end=\"1543\">\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1318\" data-end=\"1393\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1320\" data-end=\"1393\">the employee did <strong data-start=\"1331\" data-end=\"1390\">not provide proof of authorized personal use<\/strong>,<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1394\" data-end=\"1460\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1396\" data-end=\"1460\">the line was <strong data-start=\"1415\" data-end=\"1457\">underwritten and financed by the company<\/strong>,<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1461\" data-end=\"1543\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1463\" data-end=\"1543\">no <strong data-start=\"1469\" data-end=\"1491\">benefit in kind<\/strong> or tolerance of private use was established.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1545\" data-end=\"1645\">The unilateral transfer of the line was considered a <strong data-start=\"1607\" data-end=\"1644\">fraud on the company&#8217;s rights<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"1647\" data-end=\"1704\"><strong data-start=\"1651\" data-end=\"1704\">A quick recourse: summary proceedings at industrial tribunal level<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1706\" data-end=\"1949\">The Court points out that under article <strong data-start=\"1748\" data-end=\"1780\">R. 1455-7 of the French Labor Code<\/strong>, a summary proceedings panel may order the performance of an obligation to make restitution, provided that <strong data-start=\"1878\" data-end=\"1948\">the existence of this obligation is not seriously disputable<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1951\" data-end=\"2113\">This allows the employer to act without waiting for a judgment on the merits, to <strong data-start=\"2024\" data-end=\"2112\">protect its commercial interests and limit the risk of misappropriation of customers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"2120\" data-end=\"2168\"><strong data-start=\"2126\" data-end=\"2166\">Employers&#8217; key points<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li data-start=\"2170\" data-end=\"2323\"><strong data-start=\"2173\" data-end=\"2231\">Anticipate the return of all work tools<\/strong> when an employee leaves, including intangible assets such as a telephone line.<\/li>\n<li><strong data-start=\"2328\" data-end=\"2391\">Check that the line is strictly professional<\/strong>: subscriptions, usage, billing, documentation&#8230; everything must show that it belongs to the company.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"2496\" data-end=\"2685\">In case of doubt or unjustified withholding, <strong data-start=\"2544\" data-end=\"2577\">take your case to the interim relief judge<\/strong> to prevent the former employee from continuing to use the company&#8217;s contact facilities on his own account.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<hr class=\"\" data-start=\"2687\" data-end=\"2690\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2692\" data-end=\"2907\"><strong data-start=\"2692\" data-end=\"2765\">Need to secure your return procedures at the end of a contract?<\/strong><br data-start=\"2765\" data-end=\"2768\">We support companies in drafting contractual clauses, HR audits and strategic labor litigation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2909\" data-end=\"2953\">Contact us to discuss your requirements.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When an employee leaves the company, the return of the equipment provided is not usually a problem. However, there is a real legal risk when an employee keeps the business telephone line, sometimes without the employer&#8217;s knowledge. The French Supreme Court recently issued a useful clarification on this point in a ruling dated February 5, &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.avocat-desrumaux.fr\/en\/an-employee-keeps-his-phone-line-after-he-leaves-what-can-the-employer-do\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;An employee keeps his phone line after he leaves: what can the employer do?&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-employment-law"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.10 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>An employee keeps his phone line after he leaves: what can the employer do? - Desrumaux Avocats<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.avocat-desrumaux.fr\/en\/an-employee-keeps-his-phone-line-after-he-leaves-what-can-the-employer-do\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"An employee keeps his phone line after he leaves: what can the employer do? - Desrumaux Avocats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When an employee leaves the company, the return of the equipment provided is not usually a problem. However, there is a real legal risk when an employee keeps the business telephone line, sometimes without the employer&#8217;s knowledge. 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