Legal Question in Personal Injury in Ohio
rumors
I have a neighbor that has been circulating
rumors and making accusations about my family
and even my dog. Is there any legal recourse to
such a situation so that I can prevent such
damaging statements? For example, my wife has
been accused of stealing a toy from a neighbor's
garage (when in reality, our kids share toys back
and forth). I have just recently been told that
another neighbor was told we gor rid of our dog
because it bit our child. (in reality, we returned the
dog to the rescue center for fear of his safety from
these neighbors.) This all started when we
oppose a proposed modification to their property
that affected our property. We objected through
the HOA as allowed under our HOA bylaws. Since
then they have continued to spread rumors that
are hurtful and untrue. Please tell me there is
something that can be legally done to prevent
this.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: rumors
You can sue the neighbor for slander. However, a more practical idea would be to contact the prosecutor to arrange for a hearing so the the prosecutor can instruct them to leave you alone or face charges.