Our 19 year old neighbour went off the derech a few years ago after her father beat her and disowned her. My wife asked her to buy us some fruits from the shuk. Does she have ne’emanus regarding the hechsher that my wife asked her to buy?
Answer:
I’m sorry to hear about this unfortunate incident.
Concerning the ne’emanus of somebody who is not observant, although somebody who is himself (or herself) not makpid on a particular matter is not believed concerning that matter, if one knows that the person is reliable, and would not lie concerning this issue, one can rely on him/her.
Therefore, if you know the girl well, and know her to be reliable, one can trust her even if she is not particular about the issue.
Best wishes.
Sources:
See Iggros Moshe, Yoreh De’ah Vol. 1, no. 54; Sefer Ha-Kashrus 23:10. For an analysis of the ne’emanus of non-observant Jews in matters of kashrus, see Techumin Vol. 20.
