What to do about criminal allegations that have been made against me and that are affecting my business?
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What to do about criminal allegations that have been made against me and that are affecting my business?
I’m a contractor and received a downpayment for a job to purchase materials for a small roof. He fired me, better than a month after signing the contract, then pressed petit larceny charges on me. I have court tomorrow and I don’t have a lawyer. I intend to give this man his money back but isn’t this something that would be resolved in small claims court? He is making me out to be a criminal, stating that I am a scammer. My name has been in the paper, on the radio and even on the news. Is this some type of slandering? How am I supposed to conduct business when society treats me as a scammer. BTW I have been in construction for 15 years in business. What should I do?
Asked on February 6, 2013 under Criminal Law, New York
Answers:
Arkady Bukh / Bukh Law Firm, P.C.
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
Well, you have confused criminal charges with potential civil litigation for slander in the future. Your first concern should be the criminal charge of petit larceny and you need to get an attorney who is experienced in criminal defense law to handle this for you. You don't say exactly what petit larceny he is charging you with, but since it is petit larceny it should not be a large amount. Your attorney should be able to work this out in your favor.
The next question you asked about was slander and whether you have a suit. That question is best asked in the civil litigation section of this site, but you may well have a slander suit. You should contact a civil attorney to help you with those charges.
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