Password Protected Document - Slander?

[fingersphill]

Uk

I keep a diary at work on dodgy activities by management. This document is password protected.
A statement in it describes how we had a delivery of wine delivered to us that was not meant for us.
The General Manager got someone to take it away and asked me to report is as an under delivery.
This wine was given to some under managers and indeed a couple told me they had a bottle.
I cannot prove this except for the stock adjustment.
This document is password protected and the management have asked me for the password but I declined in giving it to them.
If they get this password cracked, can they sue for libel?

[quincy]

This site is for U.S. law only. You should consult with a U.K. attorney, or go to a U.K. legal forum for advice that applies to you in the U.K. Defamation laws vary substantially from country to country (and even from state to state in the U.S.).

In the U.S., however, the answer to your question would be "yes." You could be sued for libel. Anyone can sue for any reason at all, even if the suit has no merit.

What you wrote would need to be communicated to a third party and cause reputational injury for it to be actionable. If you wrote about the manager and he is the only one who accesses what you wrote, there is no third party involvement and no chance for a successful suit (but what you wrote could get you fired).

Company computers are considered by most U.S. courts to be the property of the company and, therefore, an employee should have no expectation of privacy when using them.