Would this action (on my part) count as Libelous or Slanderous?

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jman995x

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Hello,

At my place of employment one of the managers said something extremely inappropriate to one employee and it was overheard by at least one other employee in the same room (and possibly others in the next room).
If I were to make this statement known to the others in the company (peers and superiors...say, via email, a slideshow of written cards, and/or a video posting on YouTube)....would this manager have any recourse (given the fact that multiple people can verify that this manager said what I claim they said)?

Also, if I do go forward with divulging this information and this manager is reprimanded and/or fired because of what they said, does that change your answer? This information is pretty damning and if it went viral, this manager wouldn't get hired in this job field anywhere in the city (and would probably have to move or change careers).

Let's add a couple more items and see if that changes any answers:

1) Does only using the manager's first name in any way further shield me from litigious retaliation?
2) What if I were to include the name of our employer and/or pictures of our place of work, would that open me up to litigation by said employer (even though I'm not divulging potentially damning information about them, just one of their employees?)
My goal in including the name of the employer is so that this person becomes a media/PR/lawsuit liability and therefore not a good representative of this otherwise very-upstanding company...and said company (aside from being appalled by what she said) would rather save face than save this manager.

Basically, if I let the truth be known about what this manager said, and have multiple witnesses to back it up, and it negatively affects this manager (life, status, job, relationship...whatever)...do this manager have ANY recourse (i.e.: could I have to pay damages)?

Don't worry about me getting terminated or any "whistleblower" statutes/protections (per se)... I'm planning on quitting anyway, but don't want to leave my co-workers to deal with this manager and their less-than-civil treatment of my fellow employees. Upper management (all the way through to the owner of the company), needs to know just what kind of person they've put in charge.

One last thing to mention. This manager is very intimidating and ruthless (...if the Sue Sylvester character from Glee was akin to Darth Vader, the manager in question would be her boss, Darth Sidious).
If this manager asked for and/or found out my sources for her statements and got them to recant their statements through threat of being fired, would that leave me exposed to a lawsuit (i.e.: my sources disappear and cannot corroborate my story)?

So, having said all of that, I'm just trying to make sure that if I mention this manager's name in my resignation (whether it be via email or video), and what they did, that said manager can't sue me.
 
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Based upon your representation of the events, truth is never actionable. In other words, truth is an affirmative defense to an action for libel, slander, or defamation.

That said, I'd advise you against posting this nonsense. You might win a battle, and ultimately lose the war.






This female might be a real dirtball. But, dirtballs aren't singular entities. Even dirtballs have friends, some in high places.



This might also destroy you.

If you persist in exposing this creature, I suggest you do so as anonymously as you can. Some people give damaging information to the press. Others provide it to their authority figures.

If you insist in this venture, do it anonymously. If I were you, I wouldn't do it!
 
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Based upon your representation of the events, truth is never actionable. In other words, truth is an affirmative defense to an action for libel, slander, or defamation.

That said, I'd advise you against posting this nonsense. You might win a battle, and ultimately lose the war.

This female might be a real dirtball. But, dirtballs aren't singular entities. Even dirtballs have friends, some in high places.

This might also destroy you.

If you persist in exposing this creature, I suggest you do so as anonymously as you can. Some people give damaging information to the press. Others provide it to their authority figures.

If you insist in this venture, do it anonymously. If I were you, I wouldn't do it!

This company is just a small company, and this manager has few friends (let alone any in high places)... so I'm not worried about her bringing in some big league players to ruin my life (she has no such clout or connections).

I was prompted to ask for this legal advice when I was thinking about a way to not only resign, but expose this manager for who she really is.... then I came across a provocative hoax on thechive.com called "girl quits job on dry erase board, emails entire office".
I thought that that would be a great way for me to do it, but wondered about the legal repercussions.

So, if you don't think that this is a good idea, how else can I expose this manager for who she is?
If I only (anonymously) tell one or two of her superiors and they either don't care or are so in need of managers that they will sweep this atrocious act under the carpet and make it go away, then what's to prevent her from just continuing her actions in the future.

Thanks.
 
As I said, I wouldn't do. I wouldn't recommend you do it.
I don't, however, see any legal repercussions, if you do.

But, if I did it, I'd do it anonymously.

If what you posted you believe, "git 'ER done!"
 
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