I have tried two defamation cases to a jury verdict, although I have handled many defamation cases (and have a worthwhile defamation case I am currently handling). Almost all of the defamation cases I handle arise out of the workplace, whether a current employment situation or a former employment relationship. In my first jury trial of a defamation case, a pharmaceutical technician was accused by the pharmacist at her location of stealing Adderall, an addictive stimulant. As it turned out, Adderall had come up missing at the previous location the pharmacist had worked. After the pharmacy tech was fired under the accusation of theft, Adderall went missing again. (more…)
Archive for August, 2009
Workplace Defamation: Walking a Tight Rope
Sunday, August 30th, 2009
Defamation Basics: A good name is as good as gold, but some ain’t worth two cents.
Sunday, August 9th, 2009
I had a jury trial a couple of weeks ago, in which I represented a small business being sued for defamation. There are two types of defamation: (1) Written defamation, which is called libel; and (2) spoken defamation, which is called slander. My case involved allegations of both libel and slander. In my case, a former employee accused my client, an employer of seven employees, of defaming him by giving him bad references to prospective employers with whom he had applied for truck driving positions. It took the jury less than hour to render a verdict for my client.
Why did we win? There are several reasons. (more…)
