Talk to HR or Management: If the issue persists, report the behavior to your human resources department or a supervisor. Present your documentation and explain the impact of the defamation on your work and well-being. Seek Support: Talk to trusted colleagues or friends for support.
The short answer is yes, you can sue them if they are making public statements about you that they know to be false and those statements are as you have described them. Unfortunately, it is not necessarily quick or cheap to win this type of case.
To prove workplace defamation, you must establish all of these elements: A false statement of fact was made about you. The statement was “published” (communicated to someone other than you) The statement clearly referred to you. The person made the statement intentionally. The statement caused you actual harm.
If an employer or coworker speaks dishonestly about you to others, you might have a case for defamation of character in the workplace. Defamation can take a severe toll on you personally and in the workplace, so you deserve to be compensated for the effects of dishonest language against you.
Libel is an untrue defamatory statement that is made in writing. Slander is an untrue defamatory statement that is spoken orally. The difference between defamation and slander is that a defamatory statement can be made in any medium. It could be in a blog comment or spoken in a speech or said on television.
And be it enacted, That if any Person shall maliciously publish any defamatory Libel, every such Person, being convicted thereof, shall be liable to Fine or Imprisonment or both, as the Court may award, such Imprisonment not to exceed the Term of One Year.
In many cases, the harassment remains verbal. However, as long as the victim faces disruption to their ability to work safely, any action could fall under the category of harassment. Needless to say, rumors and slander attack the reputation of an individual and can make it difficult or even impossible to work safely.
The terms libel and slander — written or spoken lies about a person, group, or business — both fall under the category of defamation. Sometimes defamation is even a punishable crime, and in every instance it's unkind and malicious.
Libel and slander are both types of defamation. Libel is an untrue defamatory statement that is made in writing. Slander is an untrue defamatory statement that is spoken orally.
The subject of slanderous statements can pursue legal action against the slanderer(s). Slander can be hard to prove, as the complainant must show the slanderer was driven by malice and knew their claims were false. Slander is different from libel, which are false statements made through print or broadcast.