NTA
He's lucky all you did was fire him.
As for family, just tell them the truth. Hell you have video footage of it if they really don't believe you. Don't let him paint you as the bad guy when he fucked you over royally over a childhood prank.
💯 agree. We often take pity on our family bc of “blood relations” but this is way above something that can be brushed off.
My sister broke my favorite Barbie as a kid. In retaliation, I did nothing bc I’m not a psychopath.
OP’s brother is unhinged. OP needs to protect himself by lawyering up and filing any documents bc I guarantee this will not be the last time his brother will do something.
Right? The craziest part is really that Bro thought this was the right way to get back at him. Go to his house and open the valves in his tires if you want, but this? Over months?
Wow. What an idiot. He sabotaged your business but his income is coming from your business. What an idiot. You’re good. Just tell everyone the truth. He had no mercy on you and was ok making lies about you so don’t hold back.
NTA
hire a lawyer
file a police report
get a restraining order against him.
He isn't sorry for this decades long hatred and vengeance, in fact he is probably even more enraged than before. I'd be worried that his actions escalate.
The kind of person who actively sabotages your business, violating yours and your other employees safety by tampering with equipment, and lies to your face every day about it for months, is most certainly not done. Get security for your house, get cameras everywhere, alarms.
Also, sue him for your losses, show the videos to all your family and friends, and finally, advise your brother to get treatment for mental illness. He tried to bankrupt you, he has literally spent 23 years obsessed with getting revenge on you and 'making you pay'. Protect yourself.
He did all this over a fk’n action figure.
For him to still be seething over a piece of plastic after over two decades, there’s got to be something actually wrong with him.
His payback was so far beyond OP’s original childhood prank, it’s bizarre. He sounds like one of those people who psychiatrists call “grievance collectors.” They stew over every single perceived slight and live in a state of perpetual rage. Grievance collectors are the type of people who commit workplace violence.
Another poster recommended that OP up his security at home and at work. Good idea. Getting caught and fired will make the brother even more enraged, even though it’s all his own fault. Be very careful, OP. Your brother isn’t playing with a full deck.
If it bothered his brother so much if I was op I would just buy a new one off eBay or something. I know they can be expensive but if he is this butthurt over it I would at least try to make it right. Then if he was still a complete pos over it I would cut him out of my life.
Also, OP, what if someone was injured or cause property damage to your clients due his sabotaged equipment?
Dude is literally setting you up for MASSIVE liability, on top of deleting emails and fucking over your business
This is criminal behavior
This OP. Go nuclear on him. He already did by trying to destroy you financially and is continuing by defaming you. Get ahead of him instead of reacting to his actions.
Exactly! This is apples and oranges. A broken toy can be replaced but damaging a business? Definitely not the same! Affecting the lives of the OP and other employees? Little brother needs some therapy because that’s a long time to nurse a childhood grudge. There’s more going on there and it screams “obsession”.
NTA - He’s setting you up for failure and probably a lawsuit if he fudged enough clients’ work orders and emails. He’s too old to be making childlike pranks that have real financial consequences. Send the videos to your family. Tell them honestly what he did and how he sabotaged your business and put it at risk with your clients not getting their business taken care of.
Your brother is lying and needs to face consequences.
NTA
Beyond letting family know the truth, I'd contact a lawyer and see about suing him for the loss of business along with fixing damaged items. Also, ask the lawyer what criminal charges can be filed. Whatever might stick. He accessed your computers to sabotage your business as well as tampering with equipment which could have injured or killed someone depending on what he was doing.
Even if he's poor and wouldn't be able to pay off a judgement. If you got some extra money laying around, go for it.
Just because you can't squeeze blood from a stone doesn't mean you can't squeeze.
Plus also ordering a full internal audit at his expense. OP, you don't know how far this goes and how much damage he's caused. I'd also schedule meetings with the folks who dropped off and have a frank conversation. Offer them services at a discount for a period of time or whatever they find to be sufficient to come back. Community reputation is so important and getting out in front of whatever drama your brother causes in the community is vital.
NTA - you need to show those videos to your family members and also let them know how much money he cost you and your business.
This level of sabotage is inexcusable - your brother needs therapy and he needs to figure out a way to repair the business relationships he ruined and pay you the money you lost, before you even consider being civil with him.
I'm so sorry, OP - don't let them guilt you into hiring him back. Nobody deserves this level of betrayal.
NTA, your brother needs help. Its not normal for someone to try and ruin another person's life for hiding a damn toy when you were both kids. The fact that he is now lying to your extended family to make you look unreasonable for firing him is further evidence. Just tell them all the truth, your fired his ass for intentionally sabotaging your company over a petty childhood grudge.
NTA in fact you should get an attorney and look into taking legal action for Business Sabotage and Slander. This isn't some petty sibling shit, he took this to a whole other level that should be faced with some real consequences.
You probably won't do it considering you feel guilty about firing him but he's already showing that he won't stop. He's turning family against you and if you give this man another chance, he'll keep finding ways to hurt you over an action figure. He will escalate this further, this will get worse.
This is dumb as shit. So some family members supposedly call you to complain because they got lied to, and instead of telling them the truth, you are struggling over potentially hiring back the man who sabotaged your business?
Really? I don't believe anyone on earth would consider hiring him back rather than tell those family members the truth and if you told them the truth they would call him a piece of shit.
NTA
Your bother needs therapy.
He was actively trying to destroy your livelihood, over a broken toy from over 20 years ago. He also damaged your reputation, what clients think when you didn’t show for jobs? And he didn’t care if your employees lost their jobs.
My guess is that his grudge holding and need to get even is part of the reason why he cannot hold a steady job.
> We’ve had our fair share of sibling rivalry growing up
ESH as it's virtually impossible that the one incident you mentioned is the only time you ever bullied him. He's an asshole for what he did but you reap what you sow.
Your brother is a vindictive, emotionally immature ass. You've got the receipts (video) so send a copy to those who have chosen to believe his lies. He betrayed your trust. Don't hire him back! Not ever!! He took a childhood prank, for which you apologized, let it fester and rot for many years, then used it as an excuse to sabotage your hard earned successful business! What a horrible human!! And he did it to his own detriment, as he would have eventually caused you to lose the business and would lose his job as a result. He owes you an apology but I wouldn't hold your breath for one. I'd personally never speak to someone again if they did that to me. You should already know for an absolute fact that you are NTA!!!
what kind of camera did you install that made you spy on a screen to see he was deleting emails? I can't imagine how precise of an angle and neat of a camera you need for that
What kind of hidden camera has high enough resolution that you could see what your brother was doing on the computer? This sounds fake as hell.
How would he even delete client emails so that you couldn't see them? He'd have to have access to your computer or your account.
NTA I can’t believe all this over a toy! That just fucked up. Your brother is a major AH and honestly took it too far. It’s not like your prank affected his life. This is your business, it’s how you make a living to pay bills and keep a roof over your head. And it was helping your brother out too. He is a dumbass.
NTA...
Tell everyone the truth and tell them to hire him if they think you are in the wrong.
"Go ahead. Let him sabotage your business.
You probably pissed him off sometime during his childhood.
Let's see."
NTA. Since your brother got other people involved. Make a post on social media with the video and what he did and tag him and all your family. Fuck him and his flying monkeys.
NTA, tell everyone that your brother stole from you and give them the exact figure of your losses from when he sabotaged you. Tell them that your brother is lucky you didn’t tell anyone else that he’s a thief because you don’t see any decent company willing to hire a thief. If they feel confident about that, then they should not have a problem helping your brother with getting a job.
>The footage showed my brother tampering with equipment, deleting important client emails, and even forging cancellation notices.
Apparently your brother still hasn't learnt his lesson. At this stage I would go to the police with this evidence and filing criminal charges against the brother.
That would get him and his flying monkeys to shut up. Most importantly it would let your brother know that he can't get away with sh!t like that.
NTA
Have you told your extended family your side of the story. Because that is something I 100% would. Hell I would even show them the proof of him sabotaging equipment.
Like your brother has soooo many screws loose. Your prank made him lose a toy which was worth what 50 bucks AT MOST (especially considering time lines it likely would have been much cheaper). Like if he is holding a grudge that long how long will he hold the grudge that you fired him. What petty ass move is going to do next which will blow up your livelehood. Like I can kind of get it (not really) if he hid a piece of equipment and then told you about it. Like at worst it would have meant paying people overtime to get the work done. But doing it multiple times and cancelling and deleting emails is way beyond the pale.
Like he is an adult he could have talked to you about your issues at any time and chose not to. I barely be able to be in the same room as him let alone wanting to rehire him. Hell he is lucky you didnt have him arrested and charged for the loss of business and reputation.
But yeah I would tell the truth to your extended family and if he continues to tell lies. I would just plaster the video of him stealing and forging documents all over his facebook page and any other social media he uses. Let everyone who believes him have a dose of reality.
NTA, but I think it's possible that you will be if you don't take real legal action against him considering this didn't just mess with you, it messed with your other employees, too.
How did he see that working out? 😂😂
He worked at your company! If it went under he was out of a job. Personally, I think its about more than the toy. I think he latched onto that in panic. IMO, it's just garden variety jealousy.
NTA
NTA. Tell everyone who calls/messages you the truth about what your brother did to your business. Do not protect him. He is dedicated to seeing you suffer.
Call a family meeting. With him present, tell your parents about his new avenue for revenge. Then tell your brother that if he does not stop immediately you will go to your attorney and begin legal proceedings against him.
What you did was a prank, what he did was criminal. Don’t you dare hire him back, if you’re family is so concerned about his finances, *they* can hire him or give him money. NTA
NTA
To get back at you for hiding one of his toys, when both of you were children, he decided the reasonable reaction **more than two decades later** would be to ruin your business and thus your and your employees livelihood? For a f*cking **toy**?
His line of thought sure is disturbing and he should be thankful, he only got fired.
It's not about the incident as a kid. He's just using that excuse which is a weak reason. He's just jealous. He Envy's you and your business.
You caught him and he had to pull out a reason from his memory bank. He just wants to sabotage you. He's not very bright though, if you went under he wouldn't have a job. What an idiot.
Nta. Stay away dude. People with this kind of mentality can do much worse and that he has been revealed. It can get much dirtier. I would figure out if you can sue him otherwise he knows he can get away with pulling this kind of shit with you. Firing him is light work.
NTA. Your brother is clearly unhinged. Don't underestimate the risk he is to your life. As it is, he's already lying on you and not taking accountability for his actions.
You should probably go low-to-no contact for a while.
NTA to everyone of those relatives send them the full story and tell them to learn their facts before attacking people. I think you also need your parents to confirm your story!
If anything if you have to recordings of your brother doing what he did? Send them those videos of him fucking up your business!
NTA, as someone whose been unjustly villified by a sibling, stand up for yourself and make sure your side of the story is heard. Make it clear exactly what happened.
You were a child who made a childish mistake. He was an adult who made a malicious choice. What's worse is that his decisions could have caused other employees to lose hours or their job. Not to mention customers who may have been hugely inconvenienced. This act affected more than just you, unlike yours which only affected him.
You gave him a chance and he blew up, the other family members can take a turn to offer him a chance now.
YWBTA if you don't tell the family the entire story. All of it -- your part and his part. Do not let him put lies out there. Do not "be the bigger person" when it clearly is causing you mental strife.
He chose his actions, and he got a consequence. Now he's choosing other shitty behavior, and there are some pretty predictable consequences that SHOULD happen. Tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Share the receipts if you need to.
NTA, your brother escalated prank to substantial financial harm. That's in no way comparable.
Hiding your prized belonging, maybe comparable retribution. Systematically hurting your business by damaging equipment, deleting customer communications, and canceling business, that's criminal.
My brother punched me in the face and gave me a black eye when I was 9. We fought constantly. I would never ruin his business.
Your brother is not mad at his childhood toy. He is mad and jealous over your success and his own failure. He is angry that you had it so easy in his eyes and he wants you to be pulled down to him.
This is not someone you can ever trust again.
True, because as a kid the first thought would be immediate retaliation by hiding or breaking one of OP's toys or pranking him back. Bro had years to get his own back and chose the time where he was literally depending on OP financially to get his 'revenge'.
Yeah, I wonder if there is a lot more to this story that OP hasn't told us.
If not, and this is really about a childhood toy, this guy is unhinged to hold a grudge like that
NTA. And I'm sorry, but you must be smarter than to even need to ask the question. You say here yourself that the relatives you are blaming you and urging you to rehire him don't know the story, but rather only his version. So why would you care about their opinion? if you are bothered by the family tension, ask your parents to talk to these relatives and tell them the truth.
In a way, it's a pity you didn't have your brother charged in court with sabotage. At least then he couldn't spin his narrative.
NTA. Serve him papers now before he sabotages your reputation beyond family. This man has shown you who he is - a vindictive man who wants you to suffer endlessly. He didnt cause a hit to your business once or twice. He wouldve had you go under and then you, him and all your employees would be out of a job. Once he was discovered, he went on to ruin your name among family. If they discover the truth, do you really think he wont take this further? Serve him papers, prepare yourself. Your brother wants you broken and buried like his favorite doll. Also - urge family to get him serious mental help because he very much needs it.
Nta. Sorry a childhood stupid prank vs corporate sabotage is so far apart only a psychotic person would think otherwise.
He has cost your business both a financial hit and a reputation hit. Tell anyone that they can offer him a job. But he is done working for you.
Tell him to tell the truth or you will go to the police. What he did is a crime in many places.
For me personally, being this childish and vindictive warrants burning the bridge right out of my life. ESPECIALLY for family.
In my opinion, he’s lucky he was only fired. Screw that guy.
NTA. Give them the complete, gory details. Tell them you are still considering criminal charges. Make sure the details are as widespread as possible, and retain your proofs. Offer to show the video proof to anyone that asks, including future prospective employers.
NTA You need a lawyer and sue. Regardless of his blood relationship, his brother damaged his company's image and could reduce his reputation in this industry. Who is going to compensate you for the lost damages? Can I at least return the lost material to you? You should also call the police. Not only did it damage the company's reputation, but it also robbed you. Op this is not easy, but that is why family and friends should never get in the way. I'm just asking you for this operation. If a stranger did the same thing to you as your brother, wouldn't you sue him? Or at least blacklist it?
NTA at all. He plotted this for years. He has some internal issues that not one therapy session can fix unless he shows by his action that he wants to face them head on and fix them
NTA. Tell him to set the record straight immediately or do it yourself with a big public post. What he did was illegal, and he's LUCKY all you did was fire him. He needs psychiatric help if he's STILL holding a grudge over something over 20 years ago that happened when you were kids! That's crazy! He was willing to ruin your life and your business because you broke a toy of his. Get real. Tell all those family members the truth. Sue your brother or press charges for defemation, property damage, and sabotage.
He obviously is delusional. Does he not realize that acts associated with sabotage can lead to prosecution at either the federal or state level? In most cases, sabotage is a serious federal crime that can land you in prison for up to 20 years if found guilty. What he did was not just a "prank" to get back at you.
NTA
Something similar happened when me and my sister were kids. I gotten a brand new Barbie and she got mad at me and threw it in the bushes. We lived on a farm out in the middle of nowhere and we never found the Barbie. I cried for days and now it’s a joke between the two of us because it was a collector Barbie so every once in a while when I see it on eBay, I send it to her and say when are you gonna buy my barbie back. Something that happened that young shouldn’t be taken so serious that’s totally ridiculous to tank your business over.
I honestly don't know what country OP is in but, if they are in Australia I would contact Fair Work Australia and make the dismissal ticked all the regulation boxes. Otherwise seek legal advice. Brother is now going into defamation territory.
If any family members came to me with his sob story Id give them the quick and clean version of the truth. And add as a side note the video proof of his sabotage and if they need to see it you could email or show them via some other social media platform. Having actual evidence of his (criminal) actions is a HUGE plus. It keeps it from being a "he said, he said."
NTA. Send snippets of the camera footage to a big family group chat. Just so they all understand that there were solid grounds for your brother's dismissal
I never understand these type of stories. Why do you just let you brother just lie? Do you defend yourself? How can people be wronged in such a manner and still go “hmm I don’t know…” He tried to ruin your business and now he’s slandering your name! Doesn’t that get you angry? At least upset? And if not, why not?
YTA if you don’t stand up for yourself
NTA. Well, your brother has mental issues.
Your brother has continued his sabotage by slandering you to family. Send them some videos of him tampering with equipment, and say you fired him for sabotaging your business.
Normally, I would say not to get involved in the gossip, but he is again going after you as a business owner.
Tell your brother to stop slandering you or you’ll see him in court. Save absolutely all evidence, as hd may sue you for wrongful termination. He’ll probably post false reviews online.
This just isn’t normal. He needs a therapist. Either you’re not telling the truth, and tormented him his entire life, or your breaking one of his toys really was his villain origin story.
Like Debbie getting Malibu Barbie instead of Ballerina Barbie: https://youtu.be/0WlB-8YXj-A?si=mwbwYl2wwdXXTaTa
NTA. Is he slow? What did he think would happen to your business if he continued with his antics?! You could have lost your business and he would have been without a job. What did he expect you to do after you found out what he did?
All you have to do is show them the video. If I were you I'd let him know if he keeps his mouth up your going to take him to court for cost of equipment and loss sales. I'd almost do it anyways. Imagine ruinning your brother's and your livelihood over a toy.
NTA , i think you should make a police report . Sabotaging your business because of a childhood prank is just not acceptable. He could have talked to you about his unhappiness and worked it out with you .
Why didn’t you tell family the truth? Or is your spine made of jello. I’m also sure this is fake because how can you even be asking if you’re the ass here? Are you that obtuse?
NTA and your brother sucks donkey balls. Wow what a jerk and asshole. He could have pulled one prank that didn't affect your financial stability but no, he chose to repeatedly try to destroy your business. PLEASE file charges on him for theft, destruction of property, whatever you can. This is unforgivable. What he did is in no way at all equivalent to the childhood prank of hiding a toy.
You also need to write out exactly what happened and send it to everyone. He is still trying to destroy your business. Don't for a minute believe that what he's claiming will stay "in the family". Again, pursue this legally. Your entire business and future are at stake. This is a hill to die on. Fuck him. Block him. Be done with him (except for legal action). Fuck any family member taking his side. Block them too.
updateme
He sounds like a psychopath, apparently which began from the toy and was his villain origin story.
I mean seriously… that can’t be the only thing that led to this. If so, the dude has some serious issues. He could have or was looking to, completely destroy your life financially. That can be something that isn’t always recoverable from.
Idk, it’s definitely extremely wild.
NTA, send your extended family the proof of his tampering with your business. And tell them they're welcome to hire that B\*tard themselves, but someone who sabotages your business over a prank when you were 12 has no place in your life anymore.
If this is real, your brother, a grown man in his 30s who needed a job, tanked the business he depended on for a paycheck?
NTA, except the part where you hired an employee who may well be the stupidest individual in your tri-state area. Oh and the part where you aren't pressing charges.
Unless...are you sure you only did the one prank? Or did you bully him so hard as a child that he's not mentally well? I guess the answer to that would determine your AH status, and that would determine if you (and your parents for not stopping it) owe him amends.
NTA. If I were you, I'd send the surveillance footage if him tampering with everything to your extended family and let him and them all know that if he doesn't stop with the defamation/character assassination and take accountability, that you'll have no choice but to go to the police with the evidence. He's very lucky all you did was fire him and didn't immediately press criminal charges.
NTA Tell your relatives the truth. If they still think your brother deserves another opportunity to destroy your business they should hire him to do a job for them.
And get a lawyer to send a nasty letter to your brother to start telling people the truth about what he did or see you in court for defamation.
His behaviour is unhinged to carry a childhood bit of foolishness through to the level of wanting to destroy your business. He’s also an idiot. When he worked for you he was getting paid. If he had destroyed your business and never been found out, he would have found himself out of a job anyway.
NTA. Inform family members he was fired for cause and that you have video footage of why. Inform them this is a business matter and that anyone else who did his actions you would have called the police on and sought legal action after.
Ur brother is crazy, u r not ta. Your family may not be running a small business & may not ever understand the damage he did or what the consequences could have been…
NTA. This whole thing is so ridiculous. You broke his toy when you were kids, so he sabotages your livelihood, costing you thousands of dollars, to get back at you for it. This is a 32-year-old man. I can't even.
NTA. Computer and internet fraud is no light crime. Restraining order for sure, he knows inner workings of your business. Your bro is mental. Consult with a lawyer. No need to share the theft video until you know legal ramifications. Let people talk. None of their business.
I how this is false. Because you can easily tape him to court for a civil and reorient him to the police for criminal charges. You got the video proof.
Also tell the truth to everyone. He hurt your businessmen spread lies to everyone.
NTA - time to put brother on full blast in a way that the entire family will hear. Let everyone know the actual story and that the brother deserves zero sympathy.
Added: I didn’t even think about the legal implications of what he did. Go to the police and file a report. He has done significant damage to your business which requires repair.
NTA. He is his own worst enemy. He has some serious issues and needs therapy to address them. Create a group for all those who don't know the truth and attach the footage or your brother tampering with your business. Tell them exactly what he did then block them all.
If you rehire him, he'll tank your business and you'd both be broke.
I'd let the family know their opinions on your business are not welcome. If they want to hire a saboteur, they can go for it. I'm sorry he treated you this way. He is fortunate you are not taking legal action.
Maybe your parents can shut the relatives up? I know that is the least of the issue, but they can be so annoying, like those little flies that swarm. Good luck.
NTA- I once gave my half sister a Dixie cup with dish soap and lemonade in it to drink when she was 4 and I was 10. I don’t know why, I don’t remember the circumstances, I don’t remember much except she took a sip, spit it out and threw the cup at me. End of story.
To this day, she literally remembers this as out and out abuse. As if I force fed her a bottle of Ajax. And she’s told anyone who will listen what a terrible person I am because of it.
That was 40 plus years ago. There is nothing I can do to make it better. I’ve tried. She’s obsessed with the incident to the point of disowning me.
I’m sorry.
NTA
Tell the family members what really happened and threaten to release the footage of what your brother was doing to you if he doesn’t come clean. Your brother is psychotic if he thinks that sabotaging your business is comparable to ruining an action figure of his when he was nine years old.
NTA for all this family members I would send out a mass email writing down the whole story or a messenger group.
After that anybody else can hire him.
Your brother can call himself lucky if you don't press charges. I would probably do that because he wasn't only tampering with your business but all employees who are dependent on the wage you pay them for their work. If there is no work they can't work and get no wage or will loose their jobs. I bet your locked whileasshole of a brother never thought about that.
NTA. He’s lucky all you did was fire him. Seriously, he wasn’t just hurting you, he was hurting his coworkers. Had you kept losing money, they may have been laid off and it would have impacted their families. He seems narrow minded and unhinged. I’d create a family chat and politely address the matter along with a little of the video evidence. I would tell family the matter is closed and you don’t want to receive any more messages. The story stops here and your brother needs to live with the consequences.
NTA - it's mind-blowing that your idiot brother thinks you hiding his toy and accidentally breaking it as a CHILD is the same thing as him - a grown ass man in his 30's - destroying your livelihood.
I would tell those relatives to mind their own the business and I would also share the video footage of what your brother did.
It annoys me when I read AITA posts and you see anyone and everyone getting themselves involve🙄
NTA.
It Translates to; Am I in the right to Fire one of my workers for willingly sabotaging the business? And should I follow up with Legal actions to recuperate the damages.
Not for love or money.
NTA for firing him,
NTA for NOT rehiring him.
He is in his 30s. He can either go back to school or just get a job on his own.
You might consider finding a replacement for the action figure, send it to him for his birthday. Look for collectibles stores.
NTA. If he wanted to get you backat you, he could have hid something of yours in your backyard and "forget about it" for a while. He attacked your lively hood. He wanted to get back at emotional distress with financial distress and that's not the same realm.
NTA. This was all so ridiculous over a toy you hid when you were 12. He needs some therapy if he’s not over that yet. You were frigging 12, and it was a toy.
NTA and get a lawyer. You need to take this even more seriously than you are. Tell the family exactly what is going on and see if your lawyer thinks you should contact the police.
I would tell your other employees too. They must know something is going on and they are going to worry if it's not clear.
NTA, and you know you weren't, so why are you posting this?
Like, there's zero ambiguity here. You did nothing wrong, except for a mean prank you played when you were 12, and your brother did everything wrong.
The only issue here is how you deal with the damage he has done to your reputation in your extended family, and that's up to you depending upon how much you care about their opinion, and want to burn your brother for his idiocy.
As long as the bad-mouthing is only to family, I would just tell them "Bro was fired With Cause, and I have it on video.". However, if this spreads to where it will cause more problems, then take legal action. Perhaps Mom or Dad can have a talk with Bro to get him to knock it off, and point out that defamation is illegal. Of course, so is the other stuff he did, but I would at least try, for my brother. One last chance before he gets the kind of consequences that won't go away.
NTA,
Tell your family to hire him if they want a traitor. I would post the full video of him destroying company products and that he did this as a result of a prank that happened over two decades ago. If they care so much then they can fork over their hard earned money.
NTA. Hire an attorney sue him for defamation and for violations of his duty of loyalty to you as an employer (if there is such a duty in your state. At minimum, you can't work for someone and intentionally sabotage their business.)
NTA
He’s kind of crazy. Not only is he sabotaging your business but the livelihood of other people AND HIS OWN PAYCHECK.
Show your work to all family members. Everyone gets an explanation and proof.
Ehhhhhhhhh
I have to wonder what you left out. Why was that action figure so important? Was it gifted by a friend that died?
You say you apologize but didn't replace it or pay money back.
The extent of what he did makes me say NTA because its like 99/1 him/you.
This story is so out of proportion that it's hard to believe it happened. There's got to be something you left out.
NTA. He’s lucky all you did was fire him and not file a police report against him. He sabotaged your business because he is still not over you hiding his toy as a kid.
And as for your extended family just tell them the truth since you do have video evidence against him.
Change the locks and all passwords, lock down your credit, make sure you have cameras everywhere for your protection.
Preteen angst over a broken toy escalated to this so many years later? Your brother is seriously disturbed. All those critical family members can hire him.
NTA
A stupid childhood prank is one thing when you're both kids
He was causing actual fraud and damage to your company, and frankly should be criminally liable for it
Firing him was the least of what should occur
NTA - and anyone who holds onto a grudge from when they were 9yo is a fucking narcissistic psychopath. i wouldn't trust him further then i could throw him, let alone work for me.
If this is true, demand a public apology on the same channels. If he refuses, hand over the footage to the police abd press charges. Let's see him explaining 5 years jail time as you being a tyrannical boss.
I'd go after him for damages if I were you, OP. Talk to a lawyer. Tell the flying monkeys that they're free to let this malicious idiot tank their sources of income, but you're not going to. Block them as needed. NTA
Your brother is a psychotic dipshit. You’re lucky. If that were me, I would be pressing charges. Your relationship is ruined. Don’t talk to that Mf ever again. What an AH NTA
ABSOLUTELY NTA
Your brother needs therapy. For real. He tried to essentially ruin ur life over a toy. A TOY! What’s wrong with this picture? If he’s going through financial hardship it’s his own fault. Don’t let him back in ur life to try and ruin it again. Or did u not get enough the first time?
*“Now, I’m getting calls and messages from relatives who don’t know the full story“*.. Well, tell them. It seems many people don't know how to re send a video or tell what actually happened
NTA
you need to gather all your video / paper evidence, create a nice montage / collage, upload it to youtube (delisted, only availble if the person has a link to it), and share that video with all your friends and family who claim you are in the wrong.
ask them if they would be okay employing someone who does that to their own brother
NTA, share the videos in a family chat group, press charges and document everything. Maybe he did a lot more, but you still don´t know. Check for credit cards or loans made under your name, he may have used your info to impersonate you and get your name involved with illegal stuff.
NTA. What he did was not a prank. It was unhinged. I wouldn’t ever let him near my business ever again. If that is how he treated your livelihood over a harmless prank when you were younger then what does he have up his sleeve for dating to fire him?
NO. Send those assholes the footage and tell them to fuck off and stop listening to your asshole brother.
My brother and sister did MUCH MUCH worse to me growing up and the thought of doing something to them like what your brother did to you makes me wanna barf. Your brother is a piece of shit.
Your brother is a psycho. Go no contact with him. Post the full story of his actions to social media and then block anyone who harrasses you. Man committed multiple crimes over an extended period because you hid a toy when he was 9. Bullshit, he has massive issues you can't help with. Nta, cut the toxic from your life.
NTA .. you can work on mending your relationship with your brother through therapy .. but you are a business owner.. mixing family and business is not always the best .. you can keep your business separate from your personal life .. and your brother is part your personal life .. there are other ways you can get there for family without it putting your business at risk .. why doesn't anyone else in your family offer him a job somewhere or help him find one
NTA. You could report him, but you seem worried about your family. He deserved to be fired. Time to grow up. He messed up his own income by acting childish. You can't trust someone who ruined your business over something that happened almost 25 years ago as kids. No wonder he struggles at employment. As for your extended family hitting you up about something they know nothing about, screw them. Worry about getting your business back right.
You’re NTA, but even as a child, how do you justify practicing child abuse? Are you really able to excuse it by saying, “Oh, I was just a kid, too, so inflicting pain intentionally on others is fine.” Because that’s psychopathic. Do you have genuine remorse? Have you expressed it?
NTA have a family meeting and explain the entire thing. Tell them he's lucky you're not pressing charges.
Tell him if he keeps lying you WILL press charges.
Anyone telling you to spend money to pursue legal action against a man who has no money isn't being very practical. You could offer him an interview, during which time you show him the footage, as well as all expenses/missed profits because of his actions and ask why you should hire him. You could go a step further and request compensation before even conducting the interview. Regardless of what you do, it sounds like your brother's value doesn't match your company's and you can't offer him employment during this time. You could apologize as well and say you'll keep him in mind if a position should open up (probably never 🤷♂️).
NTA He's lucky all you did was fire him. As for family, just tell them the truth. Hell you have video footage of it if they really don't believe you. Don't let him paint you as the bad guy when he fucked you over royally over a childhood prank.
He's lucky you didn't go further than firing him. He's probably on the hook for fraud amongst other things.
Not a lawyer and we don't know where OP is but... This sounds like a good case of defamation, if OP wanted to follow.
report him to police. his thinking is way off. dont let him get away with it, within family or job wise
💯 agree. We often take pity on our family bc of “blood relations” but this is way above something that can be brushed off. My sister broke my favorite Barbie as a kid. In retaliation, I did nothing bc I’m not a psychopath. OP’s brother is unhinged. OP needs to protect himself by lawyering up and filing any documents bc I guarantee this will not be the last time his brother will do something.
Right? The craziest part is really that Bro thought this was the right way to get back at him. Go to his house and open the valves in his tires if you want, but this? Over months?
Or send them the video.
This is exactly what I was thinking.
It's classed as industrial sabotage. He could go to prison if OP goes to the cops.
OP should probably just send them the footage rather than tell them.
Wow. What an idiot. He sabotaged your business but his income is coming from your business. What an idiot. You’re good. Just tell everyone the truth. He had no mercy on you and was ok making lies about you so don’t hold back.
But that's harddddd.
NTA hire a lawyer file a police report get a restraining order against him. He isn't sorry for this decades long hatred and vengeance, in fact he is probably even more enraged than before. I'd be worried that his actions escalate. The kind of person who actively sabotages your business, violating yours and your other employees safety by tampering with equipment, and lies to your face every day about it for months, is most certainly not done. Get security for your house, get cameras everywhere, alarms. Also, sue him for your losses, show the videos to all your family and friends, and finally, advise your brother to get treatment for mental illness. He tried to bankrupt you, he has literally spent 23 years obsessed with getting revenge on you and 'making you pay'. Protect yourself.
He did all this over a fk’n action figure. For him to still be seething over a piece of plastic after over two decades, there’s got to be something actually wrong with him. His payback was so far beyond OP’s original childhood prank, it’s bizarre. He sounds like one of those people who psychiatrists call “grievance collectors.” They stew over every single perceived slight and live in a state of perpetual rage. Grievance collectors are the type of people who commit workplace violence. Another poster recommended that OP up his security at home and at work. Good idea. Getting caught and fired will make the brother even more enraged, even though it’s all his own fault. Be very careful, OP. Your brother isn’t playing with a full deck.
OP's brother shrugging and saying: *"It's not like I have a notebook with the title People Who Wronged Me or anything..."*
Oh very much something wrong with him
If it bothered his brother so much if I was op I would just buy a new one off eBay or something. I know they can be expensive but if he is this butthurt over it I would at least try to make it right. Then if he was still a complete pos over it I would cut him out of my life.
Yes, he is adult now. If OP don’t take action now, he will face more damages.
Also, OP, what if someone was injured or cause property damage to your clients due his sabotaged equipment? Dude is literally setting you up for MASSIVE liability, on top of deleting emails and fucking over your business This is criminal behavior
This OP. Go nuclear on him. He already did by trying to destroy you financially and is continuing by defaming you. Get ahead of him instead of reacting to his actions.
NTA. You broke a toy of his when you were kids. He nearly wrecked your livelihood! These things are in entirely different realms!
Exactly! This is apples and oranges. A broken toy can be replaced but damaging a business? Definitely not the same! Affecting the lives of the OP and other employees? Little brother needs some therapy because that’s a long time to nurse a childhood grudge. There’s more going on there and it screams “obsession”.
And the dumb ass would have put himself out of work as well!
NTA - He’s setting you up for failure and probably a lawsuit if he fudged enough clients’ work orders and emails. He’s too old to be making childlike pranks that have real financial consequences. Send the videos to your family. Tell them honestly what he did and how he sabotaged your business and put it at risk with your clients not getting their business taken care of. Your brother is lying and needs to face consequences.
NTA Beyond letting family know the truth, I'd contact a lawyer and see about suing him for the loss of business along with fixing damaged items. Also, ask the lawyer what criminal charges can be filed. Whatever might stick. He accessed your computers to sabotage your business as well as tampering with equipment which could have injured or killed someone depending on what he was doing. Even if he's poor and wouldn't be able to pay off a judgement. If you got some extra money laying around, go for it. Just because you can't squeeze blood from a stone doesn't mean you can't squeeze.
At the very least, a restraining order to make sure the brother does not get anywhere near OP's business place.
Plus also ordering a full internal audit at his expense. OP, you don't know how far this goes and how much damage he's caused. I'd also schedule meetings with the folks who dropped off and have a frank conversation. Offer them services at a discount for a period of time or whatever they find to be sufficient to come back. Community reputation is so important and getting out in front of whatever drama your brother causes in the community is vital.
NTA - you need to show those videos to your family members and also let them know how much money he cost you and your business. This level of sabotage is inexcusable - your brother needs therapy and he needs to figure out a way to repair the business relationships he ruined and pay you the money you lost, before you even consider being civil with him. I'm so sorry, OP - don't let them guilt you into hiring him back. Nobody deserves this level of betrayal.
NTA, your brother needs help. Its not normal for someone to try and ruin another person's life for hiding a damn toy when you were both kids. The fact that he is now lying to your extended family to make you look unreasonable for firing him is further evidence. Just tell them all the truth, your fired his ass for intentionally sabotaging your company over a petty childhood grudge.
The help he needs can be found in a prison cell.
Depends on the prison, some of them are more focused on making repeat offenders then they are productive members of society.
Then just keep him there. He can't do any more harm from a prison cell.
NTA in fact you should get an attorney and look into taking legal action for Business Sabotage and Slander. This isn't some petty sibling shit, he took this to a whole other level that should be faced with some real consequences. You probably won't do it considering you feel guilty about firing him but he's already showing that he won't stop. He's turning family against you and if you give this man another chance, he'll keep finding ways to hurt you over an action figure. He will escalate this further, this will get worse.
This is dumb as shit. So some family members supposedly call you to complain because they got lied to, and instead of telling them the truth, you are struggling over potentially hiring back the man who sabotaged your business? Really? I don't believe anyone on earth would consider hiring him back rather than tell those family members the truth and if you told them the truth they would call him a piece of shit.
These stories all need the "family are saying X" so they can frame their larp as AITAH appropriate.
>These stories all need the "family are saying X" so they can frame their larp as AITAH appropriate. Yeah. It's just a karma farmer, that's all.
OP’s account isn’t even there
It's becoming the tell for me whenever I read these bullshit stories.
And he has video proof he could send over...
I would press charges also! He was very lucky!
NTA Your bother needs therapy. He was actively trying to destroy your livelihood, over a broken toy from over 20 years ago. He also damaged your reputation, what clients think when you didn’t show for jobs? And he didn’t care if your employees lost their jobs. My guess is that his grudge holding and need to get even is part of the reason why he cannot hold a steady job.
> We’ve had our fair share of sibling rivalry growing up ESH as it's virtually impossible that the one incident you mentioned is the only time you ever bullied him. He's an asshole for what he did but you reap what you sow.
Yeah I'm not getting "reliable narrator" from op.
Your brother is a vindictive, emotionally immature ass. You've got the receipts (video) so send a copy to those who have chosen to believe his lies. He betrayed your trust. Don't hire him back! Not ever!! He took a childhood prank, for which you apologized, let it fester and rot for many years, then used it as an excuse to sabotage your hard earned successful business! What a horrible human!! And he did it to his own detriment, as he would have eventually caused you to lose the business and would lose his job as a result. He owes you an apology but I wouldn't hold your breath for one. I'd personally never speak to someone again if they did that to me. You should already know for an absolute fact that you are NTA!!!
what kind of camera did you install that made you spy on a screen to see he was deleting emails? I can't imagine how precise of an angle and neat of a camera you need for that
NTA. He didn’t care about your livelihood why should you care about his?
So you caught him deleting emails and forging cancellation notices on hidden cameras?
What kind of hidden camera has high enough resolution that you could see what your brother was doing on the computer? This sounds fake as hell. How would he even delete client emails so that you couldn't see them? He'd have to have access to your computer or your account.
NTA I can’t believe all this over a toy! That just fucked up. Your brother is a major AH and honestly took it too far. It’s not like your prank affected his life. This is your business, it’s how you make a living to pay bills and keep a roof over your head. And it was helping your brother out too. He is a dumbass.
NTA... Tell everyone the truth and tell them to hire him if they think you are in the wrong. "Go ahead. Let him sabotage your business. You probably pissed him off sometime during his childhood. Let's see."
NTA. Since your brother got other people involved. Make a post on social media with the video and what he did and tag him and all your family. Fuck him and his flying monkeys.
NTA, tell everyone that your brother stole from you and give them the exact figure of your losses from when he sabotaged you. Tell them that your brother is lucky you didn’t tell anyone else that he’s a thief because you don’t see any decent company willing to hire a thief. If they feel confident about that, then they should not have a problem helping your brother with getting a job.
>The footage showed my brother tampering with equipment, deleting important client emails, and even forging cancellation notices. Apparently your brother still hasn't learnt his lesson. At this stage I would go to the police with this evidence and filing criminal charges against the brother. That would get him and his flying monkeys to shut up. Most importantly it would let your brother know that he can't get away with sh!t like that.
You should press charges against him. This is criminal and sick.
NTA. SHOW the videos to everyone.
NTA Have you told your extended family your side of the story. Because that is something I 100% would. Hell I would even show them the proof of him sabotaging equipment. Like your brother has soooo many screws loose. Your prank made him lose a toy which was worth what 50 bucks AT MOST (especially considering time lines it likely would have been much cheaper). Like if he is holding a grudge that long how long will he hold the grudge that you fired him. What petty ass move is going to do next which will blow up your livelehood. Like I can kind of get it (not really) if he hid a piece of equipment and then told you about it. Like at worst it would have meant paying people overtime to get the work done. But doing it multiple times and cancelling and deleting emails is way beyond the pale. Like he is an adult he could have talked to you about your issues at any time and chose not to. I barely be able to be in the same room as him let alone wanting to rehire him. Hell he is lucky you didnt have him arrested and charged for the loss of business and reputation. But yeah I would tell the truth to your extended family and if he continues to tell lies. I would just plaster the video of him stealing and forging documents all over his facebook page and any other social media he uses. Let everyone who believes him have a dose of reality.
NTA So when are you going to sue him for all the money he cost you? (No, he likely can't afford to pay it, but cause him a headache for a few years.)
NTA, but I think it's possible that you will be if you don't take real legal action against him considering this didn't just mess with you, it messed with your other employees, too.
NTA. Let everyone know what he did. It's that simple.
NTA This was incredibly petty of your brother. If I were in your position I'd be looking into suing him for damages.
How did he see that working out? 😂😂 He worked at your company! If it went under he was out of a job. Personally, I think its about more than the toy. I think he latched onto that in panic. IMO, it's just garden variety jealousy. NTA
NTA. Tell everyone who calls/messages you the truth about what your brother did to your business. Do not protect him. He is dedicated to seeing you suffer. Call a family meeting. With him present, tell your parents about his new avenue for revenge. Then tell your brother that if he does not stop immediately you will go to your attorney and begin legal proceedings against him.
Nice imagination. Didn't happen
NTA. You should press charges.
NTA, but is this really about *one* action figure? Or were you "the reason he was a depressed kid" type thing?
What you did was a prank, what he did was criminal. Don’t you dare hire him back, if you’re family is so concerned about his finances, *they* can hire him or give him money. NTA
NTA To get back at you for hiding one of his toys, when both of you were children, he decided the reasonable reaction **more than two decades later** would be to ruin your business and thus your and your employees livelihood? For a f*cking **toy**? His line of thought sure is disturbing and he should be thankful, he only got fired.
Creative writing prompt...
NTA and it might be time to see a lawyer, defamation, cease & desist along with a public apology
NTA....geez, your brother can hold a grudge.
It's not about the incident as a kid. He's just using that excuse which is a weak reason. He's just jealous. He Envy's you and your business. You caught him and he had to pull out a reason from his memory bank. He just wants to sabotage you. He's not very bright though, if you went under he wouldn't have a job. What an idiot. Nta. Stay away dude. People with this kind of mentality can do much worse and that he has been revealed. It can get much dirtier. I would figure out if you can sue him otherwise he knows he can get away with pulling this kind of shit with you. Firing him is light work.
NTA. Your brother is clearly unhinged. Don't underestimate the risk he is to your life. As it is, he's already lying on you and not taking accountability for his actions. You should probably go low-to-no contact for a while.
Homeboy played the long game lmao
NTA to everyone of those relatives send them the full story and tell them to learn their facts before attacking people. I think you also need your parents to confirm your story! If anything if you have to recordings of your brother doing what he did? Send them those videos of him fucking up your business!
NTA, as someone whose been unjustly villified by a sibling, stand up for yourself and make sure your side of the story is heard. Make it clear exactly what happened.
You were a child who made a childish mistake. He was an adult who made a malicious choice. What's worse is that his decisions could have caused other employees to lose hours or their job. Not to mention customers who may have been hugely inconvenienced. This act affected more than just you, unlike yours which only affected him. You gave him a chance and he blew up, the other family members can take a turn to offer him a chance now.
Send everyone giving your grief the f'ing VIDEO OF YOUR AH BROTHER DESTROYING YOUR BUSINESS
Show your brother how lovely you are by getting a lawyer and filing a lawsuit on him.
YWBTA if you don't tell the family the entire story. All of it -- your part and his part. Do not let him put lies out there. Do not "be the bigger person" when it clearly is causing you mental strife. He chose his actions, and he got a consequence. Now he's choosing other shitty behavior, and there are some pretty predictable consequences that SHOULD happen. Tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Share the receipts if you need to.
Number 1 rule you don't lend or work with friends or family.
NTA, your brother escalated prank to substantial financial harm. That's in no way comparable. Hiding your prized belonging, maybe comparable retribution. Systematically hurting your business by damaging equipment, deleting customer communications, and canceling business, that's criminal.
This is obviously ChatGPT lol
My brother punched me in the face and gave me a black eye when I was 9. We fought constantly. I would never ruin his business. Your brother is not mad at his childhood toy. He is mad and jealous over your success and his own failure. He is angry that you had it so easy in his eyes and he wants you to be pulled down to him. This is not someone you can ever trust again.
Fake
The toy was not why he was sabotaging you it was just the excuse he could think of at the moment. He is jealous of you.
True, because as a kid the first thought would be immediate retaliation by hiding or breaking one of OP's toys or pranking him back. Bro had years to get his own back and chose the time where he was literally depending on OP financially to get his 'revenge'.
Fake
NTA, when they ask why you fired him, your response should be "that is an employer/employee matter and none of your business".
Seems like another BS post. OP is nowhere in the comments.
I find this hard to believe. If it's true, your brother might be a sociopath for this long con...
Yeah, I wonder if there is a lot more to this story that OP hasn't told us. If not, and this is really about a childhood toy, this guy is unhinged to hold a grudge like that
NTA Share the footage and tell them all he’s lucky you don’t report him to the police
NTA. And I'm sorry, but you must be smarter than to even need to ask the question. You say here yourself that the relatives you are blaming you and urging you to rehire him don't know the story, but rather only his version. So why would you care about their opinion? if you are bothered by the family tension, ask your parents to talk to these relatives and tell them the truth. In a way, it's a pity you didn't have your brother charged in court with sabotage. At least then he couldn't spin his narrative.
NTA. Serve him papers now before he sabotages your reputation beyond family. This man has shown you who he is - a vindictive man who wants you to suffer endlessly. He didnt cause a hit to your business once or twice. He wouldve had you go under and then you, him and all your employees would be out of a job. Once he was discovered, he went on to ruin your name among family. If they discover the truth, do you really think he wont take this further? Serve him papers, prepare yourself. Your brother wants you broken and buried like his favorite doll. Also - urge family to get him serious mental help because he very much needs it.
Nta. Sorry a childhood stupid prank vs corporate sabotage is so far apart only a psychotic person would think otherwise. He has cost your business both a financial hit and a reputation hit. Tell anyone that they can offer him a job. But he is done working for you. Tell him to tell the truth or you will go to the police. What he did is a crime in many places.
Tell the haters you have proof and ask them if you should press charges
Nta but you need to go to the police with this. Teach the prick an actual lesson
For me personally, being this childish and vindictive warrants burning the bridge right out of my life. ESPECIALLY for family. In my opinion, he’s lucky he was only fired. Screw that guy.
NTA. Give them the complete, gory details. Tell them you are still considering criminal charges. Make sure the details are as widespread as possible, and retain your proofs. Offer to show the video proof to anyone that asks, including future prospective employers.
NTA You need a lawyer and sue. Regardless of his blood relationship, his brother damaged his company's image and could reduce his reputation in this industry. Who is going to compensate you for the lost damages? Can I at least return the lost material to you? You should also call the police. Not only did it damage the company's reputation, but it also robbed you. Op this is not easy, but that is why family and friends should never get in the way. I'm just asking you for this operation. If a stranger did the same thing to you as your brother, wouldn't you sue him? Or at least blacklist it?
NTA at all. He plotted this for years. He has some internal issues that not one therapy session can fix unless he shows by his action that he wants to face them head on and fix them
NTA, and your brother needs psychiatric help.
NTA. Tell him to set the record straight immediately or do it yourself with a big public post. What he did was illegal, and he's LUCKY all you did was fire him. He needs psychiatric help if he's STILL holding a grudge over something over 20 years ago that happened when you were kids! That's crazy! He was willing to ruin your life and your business because you broke a toy of his. Get real. Tell all those family members the truth. Sue your brother or press charges for defemation, property damage, and sabotage. He obviously is delusional. Does he not realize that acts associated with sabotage can lead to prosecution at either the federal or state level? In most cases, sabotage is a serious federal crime that can land you in prison for up to 20 years if found guilty. What he did was not just a "prank" to get back at you.
NTA Something similar happened when me and my sister were kids. I gotten a brand new Barbie and she got mad at me and threw it in the bushes. We lived on a farm out in the middle of nowhere and we never found the Barbie. I cried for days and now it’s a joke between the two of us because it was a collector Barbie so every once in a while when I see it on eBay, I send it to her and say when are you gonna buy my barbie back. Something that happened that young shouldn’t be taken so serious that’s totally ridiculous to tank your business over.
I honestly don't know what country OP is in but, if they are in Australia I would contact Fair Work Australia and make the dismissal ticked all the regulation boxes. Otherwise seek legal advice. Brother is now going into defamation territory.
NTA. Hire a lawyer and file a police report. Send the entire family the video of him sabotaging equipment and deleting emails.
Tell him to show everyone proof of his claims and then you'll hot back with the proof it isn't true
If any family members came to me with his sob story Id give them the quick and clean version of the truth. And add as a side note the video proof of his sabotage and if they need to see it you could email or show them via some other social media platform. Having actual evidence of his (criminal) actions is a HUGE plus. It keeps it from being a "he said, he said."
NTA. Send snippets of the camera footage to a big family group chat. Just so they all understand that there were solid grounds for your brother's dismissal
I never understand these type of stories. Why do you just let you brother just lie? Do you defend yourself? How can people be wronged in such a manner and still go “hmm I don’t know…” He tried to ruin your business and now he’s slandering your name! Doesn’t that get you angry? At least upset? And if not, why not? YTA if you don’t stand up for yourself
Nta, but that was the most tame thing you could have done. Suing him for lost clients, time and theft is still an option though
Nta sue him and the flying monkeys if they harass u over it
NTA. Well, your brother has mental issues. Your brother has continued his sabotage by slandering you to family. Send them some videos of him tampering with equipment, and say you fired him for sabotaging your business. Normally, I would say not to get involved in the gossip, but he is again going after you as a business owner. Tell your brother to stop slandering you or you’ll see him in court. Save absolutely all evidence, as hd may sue you for wrongful termination. He’ll probably post false reviews online. This just isn’t normal. He needs a therapist. Either you’re not telling the truth, and tormented him his entire life, or your breaking one of his toys really was his villain origin story. Like Debbie getting Malibu Barbie instead of Ballerina Barbie: https://youtu.be/0WlB-8YXj-A?si=mwbwYl2wwdXXTaTa
NTA. Is he slow? What did he think would happen to your business if he continued with his antics?! You could have lost your business and he would have been without a job. What did he expect you to do after you found out what he did?
All you have to do is show them the video. If I were you I'd let him know if he keeps his mouth up your going to take him to court for cost of equipment and loss sales. I'd almost do it anyways. Imagine ruinning your brother's and your livelihood over a toy.
NTA , i think you should make a police report . Sabotaging your business because of a childhood prank is just not acceptable. He could have talked to you about his unhappiness and worked it out with you .
NTA It's time to go the legal route.
Why didn’t you tell family the truth? Or is your spine made of jello. I’m also sure this is fake because how can you even be asking if you’re the ass here? Are you that obtuse?
NTA and your brother sucks donkey balls. Wow what a jerk and asshole. He could have pulled one prank that didn't affect your financial stability but no, he chose to repeatedly try to destroy your business. PLEASE file charges on him for theft, destruction of property, whatever you can. This is unforgivable. What he did is in no way at all equivalent to the childhood prank of hiding a toy. You also need to write out exactly what happened and send it to everyone. He is still trying to destroy your business. Don't for a minute believe that what he's claiming will stay "in the family". Again, pursue this legally. Your entire business and future are at stake. This is a hill to die on. Fuck him. Block him. Be done with him (except for legal action). Fuck any family member taking his side. Block them too. updateme
He sounds like a psychopath, apparently which began from the toy and was his villain origin story. I mean seriously… that can’t be the only thing that led to this. If so, the dude has some serious issues. He could have or was looking to, completely destroy your life financially. That can be something that isn’t always recoverable from. Idk, it’s definitely extremely wild.
NTA, send your extended family the proof of his tampering with your business. And tell them they're welcome to hire that B\*tard themselves, but someone who sabotages your business over a prank when you were 12 has no place in your life anymore.
If this is real, your brother, a grown man in his 30s who needed a job, tanked the business he depended on for a paycheck? NTA, except the part where you hired an employee who may well be the stupidest individual in your tri-state area. Oh and the part where you aren't pressing charges. Unless...are you sure you only did the one prank? Or did you bully him so hard as a child that he's not mentally well? I guess the answer to that would determine your AH status, and that would determine if you (and your parents for not stopping it) owe him amends.
Tell him to tell the extended family the truth or your will sue him for the sabotage, you have footage and you should go to the police too.
NTA. If I were you, I'd send the surveillance footage if him tampering with everything to your extended family and let him and them all know that if he doesn't stop with the defamation/character assassination and take accountability, that you'll have no choice but to go to the police with the evidence. He's very lucky all you did was fire him and didn't immediately press criminal charges.
I fear that this battle isn't over. Phase 2 will be bad reviews and word of mouth stories about how terrible your business is.
NTA Tell your relatives the truth. If they still think your brother deserves another opportunity to destroy your business they should hire him to do a job for them. And get a lawyer to send a nasty letter to your brother to start telling people the truth about what he did or see you in court for defamation. His behaviour is unhinged to carry a childhood bit of foolishness through to the level of wanting to destroy your business. He’s also an idiot. When he worked for you he was getting paid. If he had destroyed your business and never been found out, he would have found himself out of a job anyway.
NTA. Inform family members he was fired for cause and that you have video footage of why. Inform them this is a business matter and that anyone else who did his actions you would have called the police on and sought legal action after.
Ur brother is crazy, u r not ta. Your family may not be running a small business & may not ever understand the damage he did or what the consequences could have been…
NTA. This whole thing is so ridiculous. You broke his toy when you were kids, so he sabotages your livelihood, costing you thousands of dollars, to get back at you for it. This is a 32-year-old man. I can't even.
NTA. Computer and internet fraud is no light crime. Restraining order for sure, he knows inner workings of your business. Your bro is mental. Consult with a lawyer. No need to share the theft video until you know legal ramifications. Let people talk. None of their business.
No
I how this is false. Because you can easily tape him to court for a civil and reorient him to the police for criminal charges. You got the video proof. Also tell the truth to everyone. He hurt your businessmen spread lies to everyone.
NTA - time to put brother on full blast in a way that the entire family will hear. Let everyone know the actual story and that the brother deserves zero sympathy. Added: I didn’t even think about the legal implications of what he did. Go to the police and file a report. He has done significant damage to your business which requires repair.
Nta. Reply to the flying monkeys explaining the _truth_ then tell them he's lucky you're not pressing charges. It's called consequences. Updateme!
NTA. He is his own worst enemy. He has some serious issues and needs therapy to address them. Create a group for all those who don't know the truth and attach the footage or your brother tampering with your business. Tell them exactly what he did then block them all.
If you rehire him, he'll tank your business and you'd both be broke. I'd let the family know their opinions on your business are not welcome. If they want to hire a saboteur, they can go for it. I'm sorry he treated you this way. He is fortunate you are not taking legal action. Maybe your parents can shut the relatives up? I know that is the least of the issue, but they can be so annoying, like those little flies that swarm. Good luck.
NTA- I once gave my half sister a Dixie cup with dish soap and lemonade in it to drink when she was 4 and I was 10. I don’t know why, I don’t remember the circumstances, I don’t remember much except she took a sip, spit it out and threw the cup at me. End of story. To this day, she literally remembers this as out and out abuse. As if I force fed her a bottle of Ajax. And she’s told anyone who will listen what a terrible person I am because of it. That was 40 plus years ago. There is nothing I can do to make it better. I’ve tried. She’s obsessed with the incident to the point of disowning me. I’m sorry.
NTA Tell the family members what really happened and threaten to release the footage of what your brother was doing to you if he doesn’t come clean. Your brother is psychotic if he thinks that sabotaging your business is comparable to ruining an action figure of his when he was nine years old.
Nta he got what he deserved
NTA for all this family members I would send out a mass email writing down the whole story or a messenger group. After that anybody else can hire him. Your brother can call himself lucky if you don't press charges. I would probably do that because he wasn't only tampering with your business but all employees who are dependent on the wage you pay them for their work. If there is no work they can't work and get no wage or will loose their jobs. I bet your locked whileasshole of a brother never thought about that.
NTA. He’s lucky all you did was fire him. Seriously, he wasn’t just hurting you, he was hurting his coworkers. Had you kept losing money, they may have been laid off and it would have impacted their families. He seems narrow minded and unhinged. I’d create a family chat and politely address the matter along with a little of the video evidence. I would tell family the matter is closed and you don’t want to receive any more messages. The story stops here and your brother needs to live with the consequences.
NTA, tell your family to mind their own freaking business.
NTA - it's mind-blowing that your idiot brother thinks you hiding his toy and accidentally breaking it as a CHILD is the same thing as him - a grown ass man in his 30's - destroying your livelihood. I would tell those relatives to mind their own the business and I would also share the video footage of what your brother did. It annoys me when I read AITA posts and you see anyone and everyone getting themselves involve🙄
NTA. It Translates to; Am I in the right to Fire one of my workers for willingly sabotaging the business? And should I follow up with Legal actions to recuperate the damages.
Yta for not shouting this shit from the rooftops. Don't hide other people's dirty laundry.
Not for love or money. NTA for firing him, NTA for NOT rehiring him. He is in his 30s. He can either go back to school or just get a job on his own. You might consider finding a replacement for the action figure, send it to him for his birthday. Look for collectibles stores.
Did you replace his action figure?
What kind of prank causes someone to hold a grudge for decades? I cannot imagine this is just over a little toy. What else?
NTA. If he wanted to get you backat you, he could have hid something of yours in your backyard and "forget about it" for a while. He attacked your lively hood. He wanted to get back at emotional distress with financial distress and that's not the same realm.
NTA. This was all so ridiculous over a toy you hid when you were 12. He needs some therapy if he’s not over that yet. You were frigging 12, and it was a toy.
NTA your brother needs mental health help not another opportunity to sabotage your business
NTA and get a lawyer. You need to take this even more seriously than you are. Tell the family exactly what is going on and see if your lawyer thinks you should contact the police. I would tell your other employees too. They must know something is going on and they are going to worry if it's not clear.
So then tell the the full story about how awful he is??? Like what’s the problem here. NTA
Cut him off and before you do post what he did to Facebook
You should sue him for the losses you faced. Even if you can't recover your losses every one will know what the real story was l.
seems like most of your family sucks
NTA, and you know you weren't, so why are you posting this? Like, there's zero ambiguity here. You did nothing wrong, except for a mean prank you played when you were 12, and your brother did everything wrong. The only issue here is how you deal with the damage he has done to your reputation in your extended family, and that's up to you depending upon how much you care about their opinion, and want to burn your brother for his idiocy.
As long as the bad-mouthing is only to family, I would just tell them "Bro was fired With Cause, and I have it on video.". However, if this spreads to where it will cause more problems, then take legal action. Perhaps Mom or Dad can have a talk with Bro to get him to knock it off, and point out that defamation is illegal. Of course, so is the other stuff he did, but I would at least try, for my brother. One last chance before he gets the kind of consequences that won't go away.
NTA. Send the tapes
NTA, Tell your family to hire him if they want a traitor. I would post the full video of him destroying company products and that he did this as a result of a prank that happened over two decades ago. If they care so much then they can fork over their hard earned money.
Just calculate your damages and ask any families members who question it to help him make you whole.
NTA. Hire an attorney sue him for defamation and for violations of his duty of loyalty to you as an employer (if there is such a duty in your state. At minimum, you can't work for someone and intentionally sabotage their business.)
NTA He’s kind of crazy. Not only is he sabotaging your business but the livelihood of other people AND HIS OWN PAYCHECK. Show your work to all family members. Everyone gets an explanation and proof.
NTA - your brother is a psychopath
Ehhhhhhhhh I have to wonder what you left out. Why was that action figure so important? Was it gifted by a friend that died? You say you apologize but didn't replace it or pay money back. The extent of what he did makes me say NTA because its like 99/1 him/you. This story is so out of proportion that it's hard to believe it happened. There's got to be something you left out.
NTA. He’s lucky all you did was fire him and not file a police report against him. He sabotaged your business because he is still not over you hiding his toy as a kid. And as for your extended family just tell them the truth since you do have video evidence against him.
The only thing close to TA is letting him get away with destruction of property and fraud. Priso. Would suit your sibling well.
Bury him
Change the locks and all passwords, lock down your credit, make sure you have cameras everywhere for your protection. Preteen angst over a broken toy escalated to this so many years later? Your brother is seriously disturbed. All those critical family members can hire him.
NTA A stupid childhood prank is one thing when you're both kids He was causing actual fraud and damage to your company, and frankly should be criminally liable for it Firing him was the least of what should occur
NTA! I didn’t even have to read past the first sentence . Go NC and move on.
NTA - and anyone who holds onto a grudge from when they were 9yo is a fucking narcissistic psychopath. i wouldn't trust him further then i could throw him, let alone work for me.
NTA, don't take him back. He is a big A, destroying your income is a no go...
Find his childhood action figure, and make it an honorary employee.
If 8t was me, I'd tell extended family what he did, and you have proof, and if they didn't believe you, cut them out of your lige
If this is true, demand a public apology on the same channels. If he refuses, hand over the footage to the police abd press charges. Let's see him explaining 5 years jail time as you being a tyrannical boss.
I'd go after him for damages if I were you, OP. Talk to a lawyer. Tell the flying monkeys that they're free to let this malicious idiot tank their sources of income, but you're not going to. Block them as needed. NTA
Your brother is a psychotic dipshit. You’re lucky. If that were me, I would be pressing charges. Your relationship is ruined. Don’t talk to that Mf ever again. What an AH NTA
ABSOLUTELY NTA Your brother needs therapy. For real. He tried to essentially ruin ur life over a toy. A TOY! What’s wrong with this picture? If he’s going through financial hardship it’s his own fault. Don’t let him back in ur life to try and ruin it again. Or did u not get enough the first time?
NTA Call the police and put the videos of your brother's actions on social media.
*“Now, I’m getting calls and messages from relatives who don’t know the full story“*.. Well, tell them. It seems many people don't know how to re send a video or tell what actually happened
NTA you need to gather all your video / paper evidence, create a nice montage / collage, upload it to youtube (delisted, only availble if the person has a link to it), and share that video with all your friends and family who claim you are in the wrong. ask them if they would be okay employing someone who does that to their own brother
NTA, share the videos in a family chat group, press charges and document everything. Maybe he did a lot more, but you still don´t know. Check for credit cards or loans made under your name, he may have used your info to impersonate you and get your name involved with illegal stuff.
Horrible Advice: Buy all the action figures you can find online, and put them behind an unbreakable glass case(s). Maybe 1 in every room.
NTA. What he did was not a prank. It was unhinged. I wouldn’t ever let him near my business ever again. If that is how he treated your livelihood over a harmless prank when you were younger then what does he have up his sleeve for dating to fire him?
I can’t believe anybody is falling for this horseshit story.
NO. Send those assholes the footage and tell them to fuck off and stop listening to your asshole brother. My brother and sister did MUCH MUCH worse to me growing up and the thought of doing something to them like what your brother did to you makes me wanna barf. Your brother is a piece of shit.
Your brother is a psycho. Go no contact with him. Post the full story of his actions to social media and then block anyone who harrasses you. Man committed multiple crimes over an extended period because you hid a toy when he was 9. Bullshit, he has massive issues you can't help with. Nta, cut the toxic from your life.
NTA .. you can work on mending your relationship with your brother through therapy .. but you are a business owner.. mixing family and business is not always the best .. you can keep your business separate from your personal life .. and your brother is part your personal life .. there are other ways you can get there for family without it putting your business at risk .. why doesn't anyone else in your family offer him a job somewhere or help him find one
Your brother is sick in the head and everyone on your family should be warned about him.
NTA. You could report him, but you seem worried about your family. He deserved to be fired. Time to grow up. He messed up his own income by acting childish. You can't trust someone who ruined your business over something that happened almost 25 years ago as kids. No wonder he struggles at employment. As for your extended family hitting you up about something they know nothing about, screw them. Worry about getting your business back right.
NTA and post video proof of him tampering.
You’re NTA, but even as a child, how do you justify practicing child abuse? Are you really able to excuse it by saying, “Oh, I was just a kid, too, so inflicting pain intentionally on others is fine.” Because that’s psychopathic. Do you have genuine remorse? Have you expressed it?
NTA have a family meeting and explain the entire thing. Tell them he's lucky you're not pressing charges. Tell him if he keeps lying you WILL press charges.
Anyone telling you to spend money to pursue legal action against a man who has no money isn't being very practical. You could offer him an interview, during which time you show him the footage, as well as all expenses/missed profits because of his actions and ask why you should hire him. You could go a step further and request compensation before even conducting the interview. Regardless of what you do, it sounds like your brother's value doesn't match your company's and you can't offer him employment during this time. You could apologize as well and say you'll keep him in mind if a position should open up (probably never 🤷♂️).