Legal Question in Legal Ethics in Pennsylvania
defermation of character-slander
I work for a major pet industry. An ex-employee is writing continuous e-mails to the head office, stating I am abusing the pets I work on. I have proof that it is this person. She says if I am not fired she will right the local newspaper using my name and my company name stating that they have me as an employee who abuses the customers pets.What can be done about this? Should my company handle this for me? can she be stopped legally? I have a large cliental who trust me with their pets. I do not need this kind of harassment!
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: defermation of character-slander
First, the ex-employee has no right to send those letters to your employer if they are not true, and their doing so may already be defamatory. It may also constitute criminal harassment.
Second, the most important thing for you to do is to meet the accusations head on and make sure your employer understands they are not true. You don't want your employer to think they could possibly be true.
In that vein, you want to open up communication with your supervisor, the head office, and the lawyer for company. It is obviously in their interest not to have someone running around accusing their employees of abuse, and they may help you through this situation. Please understand, though, that they do not represent your interests, and the lawyer is not your lawyer, but rather the company's lawyer; they do not have a duty to protect you.
If this situation continues, and you fear for your reputation and/or your employment, you should probably seek private counsel. You can probably find a local solo or small firm attorney willing to help you for a flat fee or on some reasonable retainer.
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