QUESTION
Do I have a case, and if so, what category does something like this fall under?
Asked on Jan 19th, 2021 on Libel, Slander and Defamation - Florida
More details to this question:
My issue is: my former 'friend' of 15 years committed a heinous crime in 2016. We worked together at Best Buy in Saint Petersburg FL, in fact I helped get him the job. After he committed the crime, I was treated like garbage and discriminated/retaliated against for 4 years at work. I currently have the EEOC investigating Best Buy. They furloughed me in March and finally terminated me after 15 years of service in October of 2020, under the guise of the pandemic. I also tried getting a job at the Pinellas County Sherriff Department and use my BA degree in Criminology, but after 8 months of polygraphs, interviews, background checks, they inquired about Kevin, then told me "I'm sorry Cory, but the buck stops here". On Christmas of 2020, my Uncle told me: "you know you're on tv right?" I said that's impossible, I've never been on camera. He said, "no, your full name and voice". I did some digging the next day and found the video.
1 ANSWER
Consumer Debt Collector Harassment & Abuse Attorney serving Tampa, FL
Partner at
Tischhauser Law Group
2 Awards
Not hearing any defamation or even employment issues. Its unlikely you have a viable discrimination claim, assuming one existed when you are let go 4 years later, in the middle of a pandemic. As to defamation, if your association with the person is a fact, there is not much that can be done about that. That aside, if there are media dramatizations or such that cast you in a false light, such as being a participant etc, there might be a legal action for such. However, such claims are typically very expensive to pursue and are high risk claims.
Answered on Jan 20th, 2021 at 8:23 AM
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