Legal Question in Civil Rights Law in Texas

harassment from a public officer

My husband is a physician in a small town. The tax office here is corrupt. They appraise the school board members and city council members and other public officials homes at a much lower rate than market value. The rest of us, they appraise at 100%market value. In a moment of haste, he wrote quite an ugly remark regarding the system on his tax protest.The tax appraisor made copies of this and circulated it around town. So, in turn, he has suffered embarassment, professional problems, etc, associated with this letter. He wrote an apology letter to the newspaper about it, and a prominent member of the community who had threatened to publish his tax protest in the paper, said if he wrote this apology letter and published it, he would not publish the protest document. We feel that he has been harassed by these people with malicious intent to harm his practice and stature in the community. Have they done anything that we could take legal recourse on?


Asked on 6/28/00, 3:48 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Charles Aspinwall Charles S. Aspinwall, J.D., LLC

Re: harassment from a public officer

May I share some advice my Grandmother gave years ago: "Many letters should be written, few should be mailed."

If anyone has slandered or libeled your husband he can pursue a civil action. He may also wish to take legal action concerning the tax assessments.

But publishing his intemperate remarks is not legally actionable because he uttered them and like a bullet from a gun they cannot be recalled. Also, the truth is always a perfect defense to a slander/libel action.

As for people boycotting him, that is their right whether or not they are rational in exercising it.

Small town politics can be brutal.

Read more
Answered on 9/06/00, 10:03 am


Related Questions & Answers

More Civil Rights Law questions and answers in Texas