can you sue someone for negligence for not stopping defamation?

[gramercy]

Thanks for your concise explanation, quincy. I hope the OP learned as much as I did.

 

[Zigner]

Thanks for your concise explanation, quincy. I hope the OP learned as much as I did.

Me too - I hope you both understand now

 

[quincy]

Do I detect a touch of sarcasm here, Zigner?


And you're welcome, gramercy.

 

[You Are Guilty]

Gee - I'm sorry Your Highness, perhaps I should use smaller words.
I believe that if this individual has been harmed professionally by the defamation, the employer could be held liable.

Try googling "respondeat superior".

Beyond that, you're on your own. The only NY lawyer posting in this thread is done.

 

[quincy]

So, gramercy should have addressed you as "The Honorable" YAG instead of "Your Highness," huh?

Thanks for providing the legal term, You Are Guilty. I mentioned how someone can be held responsible for the defamatory statements made by others, however it does not sound to me like "respondeat superior" would apply to the defamatory speech and type of "superior" sduves has described here (school official, dean, manager).

Any one of these "superior" positions comes with a responsibility to govern a subordinate's conduct or actions (and, therefore, also comes potentially with the related risk of liability for such conduct or actions), but these positions would generally not come with shared liability for a subordinate's defamatory statements, even if the statements were made during the course of the subordinate's superior-governed duties.

In other words, the defamatory comments are probably the sole responsibility of the speaker of the comments. The school official/dean/manager, who did nothing to address or rectify sduve's problem with the defamer, would still not be liable for the reputational injury such defamatory statements made by the subordinate caused. . . . more than likely, at any rate, and given what has been posted here.

Of course, as always, it depends on all of the facts.