• FreeAdvice has a new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, effective May 25, 2018.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our Terms of Service and use of cookies.

Slander by a coworker

Accident - Bankruptcy - Criminal Law / DUI - Business - Consumer - Employment - Family - Immigration - Real Estate - Tax - Traffic - Wills   Please click a topic or scroll down for more.

lures1

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Pennsylvania

I have a coworker that is telling others in the workplace that I am having an affair with my boss. It is not true and I have spoken to my boss, his wife, and my husband about this gossip. The subject was taken up at an employee meeting about 6 months ago with the accusers name not mentioned, which is fine by me because I just wanted it to stop and let people know that it was a lie. Well, it is being started again by the same coworker who said it to another that has only been there about 6 weeks. Two other people have also heard and been told the same and it makes me wonder how many more.
I am angry and it has caused me great anxiety, and don’t know what direction I should take. As far as our spouses go, thank god they are so understanding, they basically say not to worry about it. (That’s why we love them.)What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
 


The Occultist

Senior Member
What damages have you received as a result? Have you been turned down for a raise or promotion over this? Are you seeing fewer opportunities in the workplace as a direct result of these rumors? Granted, there are some damages awarded simply due to the inconvenience of the situation, but I'm not sure they will necessarily apply to you in this situation. Quincy should be along soon enough to clear that up for us, but my guess is you will not be seeing the jackpot lawsuit I'm assuming you are looking for (please do not take offense if my assumption is off-base, it's just that that is what most posters in this forum are looking for). It's likely time to being communicating with your supervisors as well as, if it exists, your HR department.
 

quincy

Senior Member
I agree with The Occulist.

There does not appear to be reputational injury enough to support a defamation lawsuit. While gossip can be defamatory, most gossip is not serious enough to warrant the high costs of pursuing in court the person who has invented and spread it.

I would, as suggested by The Occulist, speak again to your supervisor. Your boss is in a position to discipline the person spreading the rumor about you and him. What you can hope for is that the employee is fired. Until then, it may be best just to ignore, refute when necessary or merely shrug off any comments made about the matter. Treat the gossip as the nonsense that it is.

Good luck.
 

lures1

Junior Member
Thank you both for your input and no offense taken. I am not looking for any monetary awards, just need food for thought so I can go in a better direction. This person has to be taught that she cannot be doing this to people and I believe if it wasn’t me it would be someone else. The people I word with are mostly young adults and are awesome to work with, as far as damages that have been because to me some examples are, I thought I was having a heart attack at work and was taken to the hospital. All was fine with the heart and it was recommended that I follow through with my doctor. He said that it was a panic attack and started questioning me about the events that may have led up to. I told him everything was going fine then it came to me that something had happened. Without getting into the details of it, the incident that I tried to ignore had affected me greatly. I was too embarrassed to tell people the truth. I think I told them that the doc was still doing some tests but the heart was fine.
I have talked to a sociologist about it. Can’t afford him.
I have talked to my now retired doctor about it.
I now take anxiety pills because of it. Jobs around where I live are hard to come by and the people I work with, except for two bullies, are fun to work with. The benefits are great and so is the company.Because I respect my boss’s opinion, I will have to wait until he comes back to work from a recent surgery.
 

justalayman

Senior Member
If your boss does not find the need to take corrective action against this person, there is really very little you can do. I find it a bit odd that a boss would not want to squelch the rumors though as it is just as bad, if not worse, for the boss as it is for you.
 

Find the Right Lawyer for Your Legal Issue!

Fast, Free, and Confidential
data-ad-format="auto">
Top