Legal Question in Personal Injury in Massachusetts
slander and loss of consortium
my wife was recently accused of larceny - publicly. She is a public employee. There were charges originally brought. These charges have now been completely dropped. My wife is in a serious depression and our relationship has suffered. What remedy do I have? We are in MA.
3 Answers from Attorneys
Re: slander and loss of consortium
There is a tort action available for slander, abuse of process and the like.
Re: slander and loss of consortium
You may wish to examine the remedies provided by the law of defamation, wrongful / malicious prosecution, intentional or negligent infliction of emotional distress and more. A good deal depends on the factual circumstances, the parties, and the provable/ recoverable damages. Elements of privilege, soverign immunity, and many other relevent and possibly determinative factors may be involved.
This is a complex legal area. A wise approach would be to seek competent legal assistance in evaluating your situation.
Re: slander and loss of consortium
You should probably select an attorney to hire and then let him or her investigate the case thoroughly, gather appropriate records and make an evaluation if you have a valid and worthwhile claim. At that point you would want to consider accepting or rejecting your attorney's advice. To chose an attorney, many people ask their friends or other professionals, even lawyers who do not do this sort of case, for a recommendation on who is a good litigation attorney. Good luck and feel free to contact me if you choose. Regards, John Stewart