Any help is greatly appreciated

[litlpat]

VA

Ok, I was a volunteer in a church for 19 years, I posted a statement on twitter that was a blanket statement and contained no names, the pastor of this church accused me of referencing him and calling him an idiot, the word idiot was never used in the post nor was his name used, I had to meet with a member of his staff, after a 40minute meeting he said he would then report to the board, the church board met and decided to remove me from my position, the next meeting with the staff member he informed me the decision, I asked for official documents separating me from the position and minutes from the board meeting since I did not have representation at the meeting, the staff member said it shouldn't be a problem, 2 weeks later the pastor and this staff member had a meeting with a small group in the church and misrepresented the words that I posted on social media, slamming me behind closed doors, the statement I posted was, not everyone mooches off the government,you are ignorant for making that statement....I then posted the definition of the word ignorant, my question is, the meeting between the board and the meeting with a select group behind closed doors, the way they were handled and me not having representation at either, does any form of those constitute slander or libel?

 

[Zigner]

VA

Ok, I was a volunteer in a church for 19 years, I posted a statement on twitter that was a blanket statement and contained no names, the pastor of this church accused me of referencing him and calling him an idiot, the word idiot was never used in the post nor was his name used, I had to meet with a member of his staff, after a 40minute meeting he said he would then report to the board, the church board met and decided to remove me from my position, the next meeting with the staff member he informed me the decision, I asked for official documents separating me from the position and minutes from the board meeting since I did not have representation at the meeting, the staff member said it shouldn't be a problem, 2 weeks later the pastor and this staff member had a meeting with a small group in the church and misrepresented the words that I posted on social media, slamming me behind closed doors, the statement I posted was, not everyone mooches off the government,you are ignorant for making that statement....I then posted the definition of the word ignorant, my question is, the meeting between the board and the meeting with a select group behind closed doors, the way they were handled and me not having representation at either, does any form of those constitute slander or libel?

Sounds to me like it constitutes opinion.

 

[quincy]

VA

Ok, I was a volunteer in a church for 19 years, I posted a statement on twitter that was a blanket statement and contained no names, the pastor of this church accused me of referencing him and calling him an idiot, the word idiot was never used in the post nor was his name used, I had to meet with a member of his staff, after a 40minute meeting he said he would then report to the board, the church board met and decided to remove me from my position, the next meeting with the staff member he informed me the decision, I asked for official documents separating me from the position and minutes from the board meeting since I did not have representation at the meeting, the staff member said it shouldn't be a problem, 2 weeks later the pastor and this staff member had a meeting with a small group in the church and misrepresented the words that I posted on social media, slamming me behind closed doors, the statement I posted was, not everyone mooches off the government,you are ignorant for making that statement....I then posted the definition of the word ignorant, my question is, the meeting between the board and the meeting with a select group behind closed doors, the way they were handled and me not having representation at either, does any form of those constitute slander or libel?

First, when referencing a small group of people (generally 25 people or less), all members of the group are identified or identifiable even when names are not used. Therefore, when making a defamatory comment about a single unnamed person in a small group, you are essentially defaming everyone in the group - and any one of them could potentially have a supportable claim against you.

This, of course, depends on what exactly was communicated. Words "idiot" and "ignorant" are both subjective and not likely to be viewed as defamatory. Zigner is right that the comment you made sounds like an opinion - not a nice opinion, perhaps, but not defamatory.

I would have some concern over the "mooching off the government" if it is in reference to what you believe to be an illegal act, however. More would need to be known about the reasons behind your online posting and how your comments have been understood and received by your community (the church community and the community as a whole).

If you are curious about whether YOU were slandered when the church board met and discussed you, if they discussed your comments on the social media site and stuck to facts and personal opinions, then no. You were not slandered. But, again, the exact comments made about you would need to be known.

Whatever the case, your removal from the Board for posting comments on a social media site seems to be within their power, whether what you posted was defamatory or not.

You can always review all facts surrounding the posting, and the church reaction to it, with an attorney in your area, though - to determine where everyone stands legally.