Is there any actions I can takeregarding a former co-worker who made false allegations about me?
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Is there any actions I can takeregarding a former co-worker who made false allegations about me?
An anonymous letter was sent in about me when called into a meeting with our HR representative. She said that some of these allegations were verified with some other employees within the office. Allegations such as: I destroyed patient records, got into other employee email accounts (you have to have a password to gain access), created a hostile environment to the point that other employees were “fearful” of me. I am sure that I know who wrote this anonymous letter and just 2 weeks prior to her transferring to another office was telling people that I was starting rumors about other employees.
Asked on September 6, 2011 under Employment Labor Law, Kentucky
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
Defamation is the public making (so, to any third parties) of untrue statements of fact which damage a person's reputation and/or makes others not want to work with him or her. If someone commits defamation, they may be liable to the person who was defamed. However, it is important to note that opinions, no matter how negative, are NOT defamation. So saying that you create a hostile work environmnent, that peopl are fearful of you, etc. is not defamation, because those are opinions. On the other hand, the allegations about destroying records or accessing other people's email would be defamation if they are untrue, and might provide grounds for a lawsuit and recovery.
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