Ask the Lawyer received the following question (paraphrased for easier reading and clarity) from a reader on a legal matter that might be of interest to the entire audience.
Q:
My former supervisor told my current employer I am a “troublemaker” and that I had received numerous counseling letters, which is not true. Did my former supervisor slander me?
A:
Slander is a tort, but under the Federal Tort Claims Act and Supreme Court precedent, your supervisor is immune and your agency cannot be sued for slander. You may have a claim under the Privacy Act if there was an unauthorized disclosure of information contained in personal files about you.
Bill Bransford is managing partner of Shaw, Bransford & Roth, PC.
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