Yeah Hobbie I'm afraid so. I've hit a side gig relief pumping for a buddy but it's not too consistent. May be time to try for my own pumping route.

You make valid points and I appreciate everybody's input. I do have a wife but no children just a spoiled rotten cur dog. My vehicles and house are all paid for no large debt just normal utilities and such.

I made it a point to keep enough of my wits about me as to not make any threats against him but I did stand my ground and fire back verbally. He was close enough to me and was threatening to the point that had I been armed (which is not permitted at work or I would have been) I would have used force against him. I'm a big strong guy but out of shape. This guy is lean and muscled and up until a couple of years ago fought MMA at some of the local Indian casinos. I'm not toeing the line with a guy like that. I hate this because it may very well be the death of our small company. We are both shop foremen over our respective shops and it will be a big loss either way it goes. The boss has wanted to fire this guy for a couple of years due to poor attendance, leaving whenever he feels like it and of course treating coworkers like garbage and being a general cancer to the company (the bosses own words) but won't do it because "we are shorthanded and behind and can't afford to lose anybody." Today was the first words spoken between this coworker and myself since the last time I had to go to the boss about him 4 or 5 months ago.

It started because I was in our only employee bathroom answering the call of nature and he got something in his eye from not wearing safety glasses and needed the eye wash which is in the first aid kit in the bathroom. But instead of knocking on the door amd explaining the situation he decided to go off the handle and throw a fit. So when he saw me walk from the break room (where our bathroom is) back into my shop he started hurling obscenities, and threats at me for being in the bathroom. It started with "stay out of the GD bathroom you fat SOB!" and that was the point at which I told him to shut his bleeping mouth. This is the most legitimate reason he has ever had for cussing me. The first time was because I came into his shop and fixed an iron worker that the boss didn't want anybody but me fixing because I'm experienced in that area. Second time was because I told the boss about something he did that got him a talking to and the third time was when he came to my pickup and yelled at me for being 10 minutes over on my afternoon break even though I had worked 20 minutes into my break to finish what I was doing. All three of these incidents were reported to the boss but there was never anything formal put on record. Just got him a "talking to." The third time was when I told the boss I would not stand down from him again.

Hmmm, had a couple guys in the warehouse get into it. Things got heated and the trouble maker made a move on the abused. The abused punched him in the throat, he run off and died. No charges filed after the interviews were conducted. Not sure how much crap you have to eat in Oklahoma but here you apparently don't have to take a beating to defend your position.

You were in the right all 4 times from what you shared. I would not work a single day more there unless they fired your adversary immediately. If you feel the same way, make sure your boss clearly understands that and immediately walk if he doesn't fire your adversary immediately. You should not have to put up with childish crap like that at work.

By the way, you are only legally justified in using deadly force to prevent death or serious bodily injury to yourself or another. Serious bodily injury involves substantial risk of death, protracted and obvious disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of the function of a bodily member or organ or mental faculty

You can't legally use deadly force to prevent just getting beaten up.

Keith

If the abused had a reasonable, legitimate fear of serious bodily injury or death he was justified in using deadly force.

Anyone who is involved in a situation where they kill someone should always talk to a lawyer representing them before talking to law enforcement, even if they believe they were fully acting within in the law. The words you use are very, very important when describing what happened to law enforcement or the prosecutor.

Keith