Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Pennsylvania

defamation
I am a female that works p/t as a driver for a local company. I have rec'd unwanted advances from my supr. In the begining i let it slide but now he is threatening my job. I went to his boss and nothing happened. My supr threatened to take away my job so i wrote an email to his bosses boss. I told him about the unwanted advances and that i was afraid of losing my job. He said he would investigate then i got a letter that it was unfounded. No one from the company cotacted me to get my side of the story. I figured fine just let it drop and I was sure he would stop now, but now i got a letter from my boss and his attorney to say he is sueing me for defamation and inv of privacy. The company has also given me 30 days notice and is firing me. The attorney is demanding me to retract the statements to the company and apologize to my boss and his wife. I don't want to be sued but i am not the liar. No one was present but him and I on the phone calls where he made the comments. How do I prove he did say these things? What do I do now? I can not afford an attorney and I don't want to lose my house, he says he has damages even though he was not the one fired!

Asked on 2/04/08, 12:19 am

2 Answers from Attorneys

Maxwell S. Kennerly The Beasley Firm

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Re: defamation

You need a lawyer. Here are a few things you do right now:

(1) If you have it, call your renter's / homeowner's insurance company. Many of these policies provide general liability coverage, including for personal torts such as defamation, and they will choose a lawyer and pay for the defense.

(2) If the above isn't an option, call your local county bar association, whose number should be on the first page of the "Complaint" you received. Tell them that you were the victim of "sexual harassment at work" and now have "been sued for defamation." Those key words will help the bar association determine which attorney they will refer you to.

(3) You should also seek out employment discrimination attorneys in your area and talk to them about your case. Based on what you wrote, you may have a claim for retaliation. You could also try contacting local women's rights organizations -- at the very least, they'll know some of the attorneys who could help you initially.

Please do all of the above as soon as possible -- time is critical during a lawsuit. For example, once a complaint has been served, you only have 20 days to file a responsive legal pleading.

Answered on 2/04/08, 8:50 am

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