Crazy allegations made against me and others

[DBell]

What is the name of your state? California

I am looking here for advice as to what, if anything, I should (or can) do to protect myself and family from possible trouble arising from some rather deranged letters.

A mutual acquaintance (formerly thought to be a friend) has sent two letters to another family who are very close friends of ours, "warning" them about a number of rambling allegations of various wrong-doing on our part. The allegations are all false, but as in many paranoid fantasies, most are exaggerations or distortions of actual (but perfectly legal) facts. The woman who wrote the letters is retired, and she and her husband have moved an hour or two away from the local area. We believe she is lonely from losing contact with all of her friends, and stinging from a perception that we no longer include them in our circle, leading her to this action, through whatever warped reasoning.

Personally, my wife and I are prone to laugh off the attacks, and ignore them, but the other family, the wife in particular, is worried about possible escalation, from this woman sending letters to others, trying to contact their teenage daughter, calling her school, or the like. She (the close friend) is pretty concerned about the situation, and I'd like to calm her fears, as well as understand what we may do ourselves.

The only thing in these letters that at all bothers me is suggestions of tax evasion and illegal income from foreign sources on our part. They are false, but it is sometimes difficult to prove the negative, particularly where the IRS is concerned!

Dave

 

[Calif-IAAL-Att]

My response:

Statements are defamatory per se (eliminating the need to prove special damages) if, for example, they "tend directly to injure plaintiff in respect to his office, profession, trade or business . . . by imputing to him general disqualification in those respects which the office or other occupation peculiarly requires or charge the plaintiff with a crime."

IAAL

 

[mtpockets]

paranoid fantasies

"The woman who wrote the letters is retired, and she and her husband have moved an hour or two away from the local area. We believe she is lonely from losing contact with all of her friends, and stinging from a perception that we no longer include them in our circle, leading her to this action, through whatever warped reasoning."

If you are correct about her motives, the attacks will escalate unless you take action. You know her better than we do. Perhaps you can think of something that will placate her.

Good luck.

 

[DBell]

Allegations continued

If you are correct about her motives, the attacks will escalate unless you take action.

Predictably, the attacks have escalated.
A couple of weeks ago (we just found out today!), she wrote (under an assumed name) to the principal of our daughters' midle school and the treasurer of the PTA, repeating and expanding upon the same allegations.
We are actively pursuing this with an attorney...

Thanks for the advice!

Dave