I’m a vendor who has been inappropriately accused of harassment at a store I deliver to, what are my rights?
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I’m a vendor who has been inappropriately accused of harassment at a store I deliver to, what are my rights?
I’m a vendor in New York State. On the weekend,
I had an online conversation with a girl
working at a location I deliver to, wherein I
expressed attraction politely and, upon her not
being interested, briefly ended our
conversation. She nonetheless told her employer
that I made her uncomfortable, and her boss
called the owner of my delivery route and
informed him I could no longer deliver to any
of their locations. They inaccurately claimed
that I continued to try and contact her after
our conversation and cited workplace harassment
laws. Do I have any options?
Asked on December 20, 2018 under Employment Labor Law, New York
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 5 years ago | Contributor
You only really have one option: if you believe (as you evidently do) that the girl lied--made a factually inaccurate statement (not merely expressed her opinion; see below)--you could sue her for defamation for the economic and reputational harm she has done you.
The issue, it must be provably factually wrong to be defamation--otherwise, she had a legal right to do this, even if it harms you. Examples:
1) She said you sent her text or personal message saying you wanted to have sex with her/hook up when you never did; since you can prove what you sent and since she lied in a way that damages you, you could sue her.
2) But say that she accurately reported your conversation and simply offered her opinion that it made her feel uncomfortable: people are legally entitled to their opinions, and others are legally allowed to act or react based on them. In this case, there would be nothing you could do.
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