defamation of character & civil rights violation

[mandyrivero]

I posted earlier an account of what transpired with my loss of employment as a law enfocement officer and I read some of the reponds that were given.
I know that the issues can be somwhat hard to proof but one things for certain. Some of the officials that gave their testimony lack integrity because of their shady past not to mention the fact that one of them was arrested and booked in a local county jail. That same individual who was the chief at the time along with his leutenant who also testified, both where terminated or asked to resign in the past from other police departments for lying under an investigation.
As far as proof, not only do I have the public records to show, I also have a letter written by the leutenant who is now the chief where he alleges a false and innacurate information that has hindered my capacity to continue with my career. I have documantation to show that the letter that was issued to me is defamatory and vindictive to say the least. I been in this country for more than forty eight years and I have never broken the law or done anything to be ashamed of, on the contrary, I served this country in the United States AirForce. I worked for the State of Florida and prior to law enforcement I worked for the county as a corrections officer. I graduated from college and as a law enforcement officer, the only thing I did was to try to excell and advance in as many fields as I possibly could. I received various certifications and received several commendations for officer of the months which were surprisingly issued by the chief, the very same individual that lied in my arbitration.
It is down right disgusting how a department that has had a history of law suits could go unscathed with it's cruel and malicious ways of outwardly disrespecting and violating officers rights as they have for so many years. This department has even been in the media and newapapers for slander and racism against those who were not considered white yet there they are, still in power. As I mantioned before on the last thread, I enjoyed serving and protecting the public in my community and never did I feel shame for doing so, on the contrary.
It is sad and disheartening that public official whom we trust and empower with our votes can betray us because of greed and power. I am a determined person and I am optimistic that someday, somehow, someone will shed some hope to this horrible nightmare that this department has caused me and my family.

 

[theretoo]

http://definitions.uslegal.com/c/constructive-discharge/

you are still employed at this point with your employer, but this may be an option to discuss with an employment law attorney. i don't recommend quitting your position without first discussing with an employment law attorney, however, this may be something you might want to keep in mind. i wish i could offer more advice, however, i am not an attorney, but i thought that this may be something worth looking into.

as a side note, in my particular case, i went out on disability leave/workers comp due to depression and i was subsequently diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder due to my employer's harassment/abuse in regards to my disability, employer's failure to engage in the interactive process in regards to my disability, failure to accomodate my disability, etc. this is a valid workers comp claim and 'clinical depression' is a valid disability with eeoc/ada, it might be worth discussing with your doctor the effects this is having on your health as well as another anvenue to pursue.

other questions i might ask would be, do you feel that the incident mentioned is the true cause of the 'failure to promote', etc. do you belong to any other protected class that you feel may be involved in their actions - sex, race, disability, etc.

 

[theretoo]

http://definitions.uslegal.com/c/constructive-discharge/

you are still employed at this point with your employer, but this may be an option to discuss with an employment law attorney. i don't recommend quitting your position without first discussing with an employment law attorney, however, this may be something you might want to keep in mind. i wish i could offer more advice, however, i am not an attorney, but i thought that this may be something worth looking into.

as a side note, in my particular case, i went out on disability leave/workers comp due to depression and i was subsequently diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder due to my employer's harassment/abuse in regards to my disability, employer's failure to engage in the interactive process in regards to my disability, failure to accomodate my disability, etc. this is a valid workers comp claim and 'clinical depression' is a valid disability with eeoc/ada, it might be worth discussing with your doctor the effects this is having on your health as well as another anvenue to pursue.

other questions i might ask would be, do you feel that the incident mentioned is the true cause of the 'failure to promote', etc. do you belong to any other protected class that you feel may be involved in their actions - sex, race, disability, etc.

http://joeslegalforum.forumotion.net/index.htm

hi mandy,
i have added a link to another forum where you can private message attorney's with questions. however, i will tell you, that it is difficult to find an atty to respond. employment laws are changing at a rapid pace right now and frankly, i think attorney's are afraid to speak up at this point. you are right, unless someone has walked in your shoes, they don't give a flying fig. unfortunately, i am in a similar boat with you and it is only through my own research that i have learned along the way.
you may be able to find an employment law atty in your area to talk to, but you have to make it 'easy' for them and do all the leg work yourself to put the case together. you have to have the documentation to be able to prove your case and put it all together into a nice, neat little package so the atty understands what your 'claim' is. they are not going to spend time going through a mile high stack of documents, in a sense, you have to prepare your own case, then hand them all of the work you have done so you can prove your own case. as long as you have done the work for them, then they will take the case if they think it is an easy win.