Legal Question in Criminal Law in California
I live in a small town. A supposedly straight barista (where I frequent for work purposes) initiated what I thought was a platonic friendship. However, she then expressed romantic interest in me which I declined (I am a gay female psychotherapist in a 14 yr relationship.) She at first threatened to "ruin [my] reputation but then acknowledged feeling humilated and rejected and confused. She stated that she would be going on a "sabatical" to sort out some things. During this time,the owner of the cafe, all employees and even customers stopped speaking to me and would not let me share their table anymore. The owner and the barista then did everything they could to get me to stop frequenting her cafe (horrible espresso, wiping under my feet where-ever I sat, yelling "WHAT?!" when I came up to order, slamming the dishes down, putting satan art on my cappacinos, ignoring me when I ordered, the list goes on. I then found out by a barista (who refuses to repeat what she told me) that this barista in question ran back and told everyone who would listen that I am an "evil brilliant and diabolical predator of young straight women and that all such women should stay away from me" I was also told by her former boyfriend and the barista that I supposedly said or did something "unspeakable." I was completely ostracized from this cafe and was forced to leave. The woman then stalked me (with her boss' blessings) to every cafe i would frequent. The cafe staff would then started treating me similar to how I was treated at the first cafe. A barista at a different cafe told me this is what happens if you piss off a local cafe owner in this town..that they all stick together and phone in favors to each other. I've done absolutely nothing wrong or inappropriate. It is clear that the barista was terrified that I might tell others about her bi-curious gesture (which I would have never done.) Her boss is using her power in the community to help this barista with her slander, but I can't find anyone to open up and tell me anything. Now many of the women who used to talk with me throughout the town (in their 20's and 30's) glare hostily and flee at the sight of me. The barista did confide in me before all of this occurred that she put two African American men in prison who she physically attacked by lying to the authorities after one struck her back by saying that they attacked her. She had originally asked me during one of out outings if I could help her with her tendency to make herself out to be a victim wherein she is a perpetrator pathologically lying convincingly to others and getting away with it and destroying people's lives as well as her tendency to obsess on love interests who reject her. I refused to help her at the time and told her that she should see a therapist as I was a potential friend and not permitted nor interested in being her therapist which would be needed for such tendencies. (I also knew at this point that I wasn't interested in being friends with this woman as she felt too psychologically unstable to me.) Now the ostracizing treatment is happening at my local Peets cafe. Is there anything legal that I can do to stop the slander? This is an extremely painful and an unfair nightmare for me and I am 100% innocent of any wrong doing. Please advise. Thank you!
1 Answer from Attorneys
I am always amazed at people who will believe big, "unspeakable" lies and act on them without attempting to validate them with the person being lied about. The person telling the whoppers is, of course, is a borderline. You could theoretically enlist a friend, or even a private investigator, to try and figure out what this "unspeakable" thing is that is being said about you. If you find out, let me know. But none of these people are worth the bother of taking them to court.
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