respondeat superior

from The Century Dictionary.

• ‘Let the principal answer’: in law, a phrase used to express the doctrine that the principal is responsible for the acts of his agents or servants when done within the scope of their employment.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun law A legal doctrine which holds that an employer, officer, manager, supervisor, or other individual or group superior to an employee or subordinate may be legally liable for the acts of that employee or subordinate.