What are my legal rights regarding slander?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What are my legal rights regarding slander?
Someone at my job falsely accused me of sexual harrasment. When told they could be fired for making false accusations they quickly changed their story. I was told to just forget about the incident and go back to work with the individual who accused me. What are my legal rights?
Asked on April 7, 2011 under Personal Injury, Florida
Answers:
S.L,. Member, California Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
You could sue the person for defamation. Defamation is a false statement made with knowledge of its falsity communicated to a third party causing injury to your reputation.
In addition to a cause of action (claim) for defamation in your lawsuit, you could include a separate cause of action (claim) in your lawsuit for intentional infliction of emotional distress, which is an extreme and outrageous act intended to cause and which did cause you emotional distress. The extreme and outrageous act would be falsely accusing you of sexual harassment.
In addition to compensatory damages (monetary compensation) you may be able to seek punitive damages ( a substantial amount of additional monetary compensation) to punish your accuser for the malicious act of making the false accusations against you.
If you decide to proceed with a lawsuit, you will need to file your lawsuit prior to the expiration of the applicable statute of limitations or you will lose your rights forever in the matter.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.