Employer Rights - Slander

[lgt240]

I own a cleaning company and have had many employee issues lately that have made me decide to make changes to the company, such as scale back and get back into the houses myself. Most issues were cleaning complaints. Last week I had a call from a customer that a third item was missing from her house. The first was a book of stamps I replaced, the second was a bottle of pills she wasn't sure was stolen and then a second bottle of Code 3 medication disappeared. The same employee was in the house alone, and was in the house on the other occasions as well. She has been written up for many policy violations, is verbally discriminatory to my black employees, and since she was terminated she has told me she has been trying to solicit my customers for several weeks. She worked for me for 47 days out of three months, calling off most days or leaving mid morning because she didn't feel well. Since she was terminated she has told me she contacted only five customers, but many more are calling me telling me she has contacted them. All but three I have talked to. She is telling them I closed and she is their new cleaner, even charging less money. I am assuring them I am making some changes to my business due to lack of revenue, problems with cleaning and retention of employees and an incident of alleged theft. Then she shows up on the doorstep and incriminates herself by lying to them about me closing down. Now she claims she has counts of slander against me when I never mentioned her name to anyone, she is incriminating herself. She signed a non compete policy that states she cannot clean or solicit customers for a year from termination. What can I do about this person? She won't stop soliciting my customers and I am worried if she has a slander case, though I never mentioned who she was at all to anyone. All the employees knew right away though, since they had expressed all kinds of distrust of her since she started. I don't know if she did or didn't do it and I don't care. I just want her to go away and leave everyone alone. Do I have any kind of case I can make against her harrassment?

 

[Beth3]

She signed a non compete policy that states she cannot clean or solicit customers for a year from termination. What can I do about this person? You can consult with an attorney and see if you can sue under the terms of the non-compete she signed. A letter from an attorney threatening all kinds of legal consequences if she doesn't stop this behavior may be all that's required though.

Do I have any kind of case I can make against her harrassment? No.