monetary damage due to slander

[Tamara_C]

I live in Florida. My neighbors have been copying down the lisence plates of my guests, using them to find out their names, addresses & then their phone numbers and have been calling them to leave nasty messages on their answering machines about me. They have also called a bar I was going to work at and made fraudulent statements that I am dealing drugs and am a bad influence. Of course, I am not dealing/using drugs, I'm a research assistant at a local university, am an officer in the national honor society for psychology (my major), Psi Chi, I donate plasma on a regular basis (they drug test each time someone donates, I have NEVER come up positive for ANYTHING!), and I will soon be volunteering with the elderly. I AM A GOOD PERSON! My entire neighborhood now believes I am some kind of degenerate and I have lost that job (I am a singer, this would have been for the whole summer) and all the income it would have provided. The bar owner says he'd come to court, as well as my mother (they left a message on HER machine on mother's day weekend - nice). My ex-roommate has been followed around town by these people and ended up moving out because of them so I have also lost that income (he wasn't on the lease). He says he'd be happy to testify as well. This issue has gone well beyond the scope of our neighborhood (this is a small town) and people I don't even know dislike me because of the viscious rumors they are spreading! They have even gone so far as to call the IRS, claiming that since my husband and I haven't worked in over 2 years, we must be dealing drugs (actually, my husband works in the summers, we live off student loans and my disability check). We've been investigated by Children & family resources for child neglect (we were cleared, of course but I wonder who called them...) And they have called Crimestoppers, claiming they have heard "Narcotics conversations" on our back porch! All of this is false and I am rather insulted at this apparent charactor assassination. Several of my professors would be willing to testify on my behalf in so far as character witnesses. The actual monetary damages exceed $5,000 but not by much. I may end up having to move, however because of all the trouble they are causing and this would bring that total up quite a bit. The police will do nothing. I have lost friends because of this as well as money. They both are involved and they both are listed as owning their home.
My questions-
1. would it be worth it to take them to court, given all my witnesses?
2. If I DO take this to court, do I file in small claims or reg. court?
3. Can I sue them for moving costs as well as slander?
4. If, by some stroke of luck I get a judgement against them, can I attach their house? Like a lean on an automobile? They are planning on selling the house and moving but they are only moving across the street so it doesn't solve my problem of their wild imaginations.
Sorry this was so long but I have actually left out quite a lot that they have done but the important info. is there.

 

[I AM ALWAYS LIABLE]

My response:

You have, what appears to be, a wonderful case. You're only problem is proving, exactly, who's doing this to you. You need more than a "strong suspicion". You need hard facts.

Not that it really matters, but do you know what the vendetta is about; i.e., why are they doing this to you ?

Why haven't you consulted an attorney ?

IAAL

 

[Tamara_C]

My husband, my room mate and I all heard the female bragging about her phone escapades on the day she made the calls. We rushed to the bar and spoke to the owner who confirmed that such a call was made. I told my mother about the message on her answering machine before she got home from vacation and I had no access to her machine prior to this incident. I even spoke to police about it before she was back from vacation. This can all be verified (cruise ticket date). I have spoken with lawyers, they all tell me it's not enough money for it to be worth their involvement. That is why I am considering small claims court. Also we overheard the male speaking on his phone (they like to talk on the phone in their garage with the door open, we can sometimes hear from our open window), he was telling whoever was on the other end that "oh, yeah, my neighbors are dealing like crazy, that house is hot, neither one of them has worked in over two years,...etc., etc." so we can tie it into who is doing it .
As far as to why this is occurring, we have a strange property line. Our property surrounds theirs on two sides, like an "L" shape. We live on a canal. We have a shed that blocks part of their view of the canal. It has been there for twenty years, they just moved in six months ago. They have been attempting in vain to have the city force us to remove it. It's legally there, they can't make us move it. The kicker? It's not even my property, it's my grandmother's! I'm renting from her! Had I not been related to her I doubt we'd be suffering all this harassment! These people are so vindictive and nasty they moved their fence over 6 inches to destroy a walkway. Granted, it was partially (3 inches) on their property and it was their right to do so but the fact that they spent all that money to do so, simply for spite, tells you something about how far they are going with this.