Legal Question in Civil Rights Law in Missouri

My question is in regards to my mother-in-law. Robin who is my in law lives with my husband and I. After having my son in 2009 her and I do not get along due to her behavior. Robin does not contribute to the household in anyway. After I came home from giving birth to my son it had been a struggle to get Robin to not smoke cigarettes in the house.. Because she continued to smoke in the house for six months after my son was born I cut off all relations I had with this woman.. My husband had talked with her many times about the smoking and we had sent her several emails asking her to just take it outside. There have been many other issues with her for the past year now. Including slamming doors, constantly waking the baby, throwing objects across the room. I had told my husband that I was no longer going to cook for her that she is capable to make herself meals. This turned into a Pascale. Now I remind you that when I was cooking for her she was always complaining that she was gaining to much weight. Now that I had stopped she got a hold of social services and accused my husband and I of starving her. We just want her to move out but she is struggling to get disability SSI.

My question is can I take legal action against her for Defamation of Character? My husband and I have had to be interviewed by a case worker in regards to abuse to her and for her allegations of starvation.


Asked on 7/26/10, 9:23 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Anthony Smith LawSmith

If the statements tht yrou mother in law made were deliberately false, and intended to cause you harm to yrou reputtion, you might be ble to sue her. But, it doe snto sound like she has anything to pay you fo ryour damages, so it may not be worth the cost to sue her. It does sound like you and your husband can evict her.

Good luck

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Answered on 7/26/10, 9:11 pm


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