Neighbor Problems

[Wolverine0823]

What is the name of your state? Illinois

I have been having problems with my neighbor since I moved in. Apparently, she was upset that my movers blocked her driveway and has proceeded on a 8 month campaign to get me fired from my job with the local public works department. She wrote a 3-page letter detailing dates and times that I was supposedly home during working hours. I have proven these accusations false. My superiors decided to change policy and not allow us to take village vehicles home for lunch because of this letter, even though it was proven wrong. Her next step was to write a 5-page letter to the chief of police detailing all of the wrongs I have supposedly done. She accused me and my wife of making comments about her mother and racial comments. All of us are white. She accused my wife of breaking her fence as well as shouting several insults while my wife was supposedly intoxicated. We have several people who were at our home who knows she was not intoxicated. She also stated that she is afraid of us. Her next step was to take a picture of a colleague of mine plowing my driveway (it is allowed in our job), and also of my wife and they were printed in the newspaper. She also attributed several comments to my wife, which the reporter put in the story. Never were we contacted for this story and asked our side.
I have talked to a couple of local lawyers and they tell me to move. We love our home and quite honestly with the housing market the way it is, we can't afford to move. Isn't there some way we can take action for slander/libel or harassment? I haven't lost my job, but I was promised a promotion quite some time ago, which hasn't materialized. One supervisor even said it might have happened sooner were it not for my neighbors. They shouldn't be able to get away with this. Anybody have any ideas? Thank you.

 

[quincy]

Well, I was going to suggest that you contact a lawyer.

If the local lawyers you have already contacted seem to think the solution is for you to move, I am not sure an attorney, in your immediate area at any rate, will be very helpful.
I would continue to look for a lawyer, perhaps broadening the geographical range in your search, as you will benefit from an attorney's involvement should you decide to take any action against this neighbor. Try to find one familiar with defamation law.

You will want to go over with this attorney all that has occurred with your neighbor during these last eight months. Gather as many supporting documents as possible, including the newspaper report and copies of both of the letters sent - the one to the Public Works Department and the one to the Chief of Police. See if you can get both the one supervisor and, additionally, your friends who witnessed your neighbor's accusations against your wife, to write out statements - the supervisor about your loss of a potential promotion and the neighbors about the "intoxication" comment.

I can see where you may have both defamation and civil harassment actions possible against this neighbor. An attorney, however, can advise you whether any action is worth pursuing (time, effort and money-wise, as well as success-wise).