Legal Question in Business Law in New York

Could I be sued by employer for stating the truth

Recently, I worked for a company whose owner promised me that he’d continue to employ me for the foreseeable future because he was very happy with my work and considered me a key employee. Only a few months later, and after getting further assurances from him that I would remain employed there, I was terminated without warning or explanation. I later discovered that this was a common tactic of the owner -- to lie to his employees to gain their confidence and then suddenly fire them when it suited him.

I realized there was no way to get my job back, but at the very least I wanted to warn my fellow employees of the outrageous tactics of the owner, so it wouldn’t happen to them too. I was thinking of sending an email to all the employees of the company, explaining what he had done to me. But, since nobody else was a witness when my employer had made his promises to me, and I had nothing in writing from him, I was afraid that, even if I told the truth in my email, I might be sued for libel. So I didn't send the email. Can you clarify what my rights are in this situation? It seems to me that I should be able to tell other people the truth about somebody else, shouldn't I? If not, what other options do I have?


Asked on 5/23/06, 12:01 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

Stephen Loeb Law Office of Stephen R. Loeb

Re: Could I be sued by employer for stating the truth

There's a difference between the ability to sue, and winning. There is nothing legally you can do to prevent someone from suing you but truth is a valid defense to a lawsuit.

Should you like to discuss this or any other legal matter, you can e-mail me for more information about low cost face-to-face, on-line, or a telephone consultation with a lawyer in our office.

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Answered on 5/23/06, 1:03 pm


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