Send a Cease and Desist Letter: If the slander continues, your attorney may recommend sending a cease and desist letter, formally requesting that the former employer stop making false statements. Consider Mediation: If direct communication doesn't work, mediation can be an option.
If your employer knowingly or recklessly made false statements about you and you were harmed as a result, you can sue them for defamation of character.
A defamation claim against a former employer can be very hard to prove, but it is not impossible. This is particularly true if your employer went to your place of employment and made defamatory comments without being asked his or her opinion about anything.
In order to prove defamation in this case, you will have to show that the employer made a false statement about you and did so either knowingly or recklessly. You can then point to the harm you experienced as a result (not getting the job).
Send a Cease and Desist Letter: Often, a formal letter from a lawyer indicating the defamatory nature of the statements and demanding their cessation can resolve the issue. File a Lawsuit for Damages: If the defamation has caused significant harm, a lawsuit may be the appropriate step to claim damages.
Send a Cease and Desist Letter They can always decide to ignore the demand, in which case you would have to take the matter to court, but a strongly-worded letter from an intimidating law firm is often enough to get a defamatory article retracted or social media post deleted.
The Offence of Criminal Defamation. A defendant can face significant monetary penalties through civil proceedings for posting defamatory content without a valid defence. This conduct will however not result in a potential prison sentence.
Illinois defines defamation as a false statement of fact about the plaintiff “published,” which means shared with another person, that harms the plaintiff's reputation (i.e. lowers the plaintiff in the eyes of the community). There are two categories of defamation in Illinois: defamation per se and defamation per quod.
The types of damages available for defamation per se in Illinois generally include presumed damages, as discussed above, and nominal damage. Punitive damages may also be available if the plaintiff can show that the defendant acted with actual malice. Each type of damage is discussed below. Nominal damages.
The Illinois Supreme Court considers five types of statements to be defamatory per se: (1) accusing a person of committing a crime, (2) accusing a person of being infected with a “loathsome communicable disease,” (3) accusing a person of lacking ability or integrity in the performance of job duties, (4) statements that ...