Full question:
A supervisor at work came to my cubicle and accused me of taking $50.00 that he said he lost in front of a department full of people. He was very firm in saying that he saw me with the money in my hand. (Insisted several times, which I replied to firmly that it just did not happen) He had gone to Las Vegas for 4 days and a few days after he came back, he found that he was missing the money. He wasn't even sure where he lost it, but thought it was the Friday before at the office. It was the next Monday am that he came to me. When confronted by human resources, he backpedaled and said that he thought he saw me, but wasn't sure. Or he thought he heard me talking about the money. To make a long story short, he changed his version several times. In the end, my direct supervisor came to me and told me that this person would apologize, that the conversation he overheard was me asking my boss if I could go to the bank because my ATM card was not working. My boss was not sure how he made this connection to associate me with his money. (There was also a conversation with another employee that he dreamed about his money.) I work with money every day for a financial institution, so I feel that my reputation has been damaged to say the least. My boss told me that the apology was the only action that he could think of to have the accuser do, that he was reprimanded by the President and V. President (my boss) behind closed doors and that things would die down in time and people would forget about the incident. I asked for a written and public apology in front of the people in the department. I have gotten neither. I need to know is this all that I can expect, just a behind the doors I'm sorry from not even the person that slandered me?
- Category: Employment
- Subcategory: Discrimination
- Date:
- State: Massachusetts
Answer:
A form of publication (whether in writing or verbal) which tends to cause one to lose the esteem of the community is defamation. This is injury to reputation. A person is liable for the defamation of another. Defamation is a civil action.
In order to prove defamation, the plaintiff must prove: 1) that a statement was made about the plaintiff’s reputation, honesty or integrity that is not true; 2) publication to a third party (i.e., another person hears or reads the statement; and 3) the plaintiff suffers damages as a result of the statement. Slander is a form of defamation that consists of making false oral statements about a person which would damage that person's reputation. If I were to spread a rumor that my neighbor has been in jail and this is not true, I could be held liable for slander. Defamation which occurs by written statements is known as libel.
Consult an attorney in your local area if you have more questions about defamation.
This content is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Legal statutes mentioned reflect the law at the time the content was written and may no longer be current. Always verify the latest version of the law before relying on it.
