Which of the following best describes the legal consequences to an employer who negligently hires an incompetent employee leading to an injury?

The best description of the legal consequences to an employer who negligently hires an incompetent employee leading to an injury is that the employer will be directly liable. This means that the employer can be held responsible for the actions of their employee if it can be shown that the employer failed to exercise reasonable care in the hiring process.

Negligent hiring occurs when an employer does not perform adequate background checks or fails to consider information that would indicate a potential risk associated with hiring a specific employee. If this negligence directly contributes to an injury or harm caused by the employee, the employer can face direct liability because they did not fulfill their duty to ensure a safe working environment or to properly vet their staff.

In contrast, the other options present different legal concepts. Vicarious liability pertains to the employer's responsibility for the actions of employees performed in the course of their employment, but in the case of negligent hiring, the direct negligence of the employer is the primary cause. Being strictly liable implies that the employer would be responsible regardless of fault, which is not the standard applied in negligent hiring claims. Lastly, saying that the employer would not be liable does not hold true given the context of negligent hiring leading to injury, as it directly contradicts the responsibility that employers have to safeguard