can a priest misled by an illegal alien be sued for defamation

[temokk]

What is the name of your state? Illinois
i have a cleaning biz i have a contract with a cathedral i have been with them 1 year 9 months recently 2 checks bounce on my fault to subcontractor. she went to a priest who defends illegals aliens she accused me of abusing illegals being a slave master none which are true now this priest came to the cathedral and talked about me and lied on behalf of the person without even consulting me. no my other subcontractors went to talked to him to tell him the truth but he said he never liked me from the beginning that he knew people like me and now hes on a crusade to get me out and talking lies about me with out any merit


what can i do plz help

thanks

 

[quincy]

Throwing in a "period" now and then might make your post a little easier to read. Just a suggestion.

You bounced two checks to a subcontractor and then this subcontractor told a priest that you are a slave master and abuse illegal aliens? Did you ever pay this subcontractor, or do you still owe her money? Is the priest who confronted you one who works at the cathedral where you clean? Would he be the one who determines who is employed at the cathedral?

If you are asking if you can sue this priest or the subcontractor for defamation, the answer is maybe. Either one of them can be sued for defamation, unless what the subcontractor told the priest was during confession. A conversation between a priest and a parishioner is considered a privileged, or private, communication during confession. It is possible a communication between a priest and a parishioner could be considered privileged at other times, as well. However, if this priest or this subcontractor went on to tell other people that you abused illegal aliens, then you could potentially sue one or both for defamation. Since this defamation is spoken, or slander, and not written, you would need to have witnesses to testify that the defamatory words were, in fact, spoken.

There are conditions that need to be met before you could bring a successful defamation suit. One would be if the defamatory words spoken were false. If you do abuse illegal aliens, you would have no case. The subcontractor could legitimately feel that you were a slavemaster or abused illegal aliens if you did not pay them, and what she said, then, would not be considered defamatory. If the words spoken were not true, however, and the workers have been paid, then it must be determined if the communication between the priest and the subcontractor was privileged or not. If it was privileged, then the defamatory words would have needed to be heard by at least one additional person. If not privileged, then the subcontractor's words to the priest can support your defamation suit. Next, you must show that these words "injured" you in some way - either you have a reputational loss or a monetary loss. If you were to lose your cleaning job, let's say, based only on the fact that the priest believes you abuse aliens, you would have a good basis for a defamation suit. But all of this must be proved.

It is expensive to sue and time consuming, and there is never a guarantee you would win such a suit. If you can show damages, however, and can meet the conditions for defamation outlined above, you could probably sue. You should consult with an attorney, though, and go over all of the facts to see if he/she thinks your claim is worth pursuing.