Can I sue for slander regarding a false accusation?
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Can I sue for slander regarding a false accusation?
I’m a supervisor at my job and an employee is accusing me of sleeping with another employee, which is false. My senior supervisor came an asked me twice about it because the person is spreding the rumor. I believe that my
integrity is coming into question.
Asked on August 11, 2016 under Personal Injury, North Carolina
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 7 years ago | Contributor
If the senior supervisor tells *other* people that you are sleeping with another employee and that is not true, you could sue him for demation and possibly sue your employer, too, since he would be doing this as part of and in the course of his employment. (Employers can be liable, under the theory of "respondeat superior," for what their staff does as part of their jobs.) But if he only is telling *you* this directly, that is not defamation and you can't sue: defamation is statements made to third parties (other people), not directly to the person accused of doing something. And if you bring up the topic to other people, that is not defamation, either: you have no claim for defamation for things you yourself say.
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