More details to this question:
Do I have a case if an associate at my company filed an Ethics Investigation on me falsely as revenge for me writing them up? I am a salaried manager, they are accusing me of having an affair with an hourly associate - a terminable offense. My reputation damaged in the least, job lost in the worst.
1 ANSWER
I'm assuming the accusation is false. If it were true, you would have no defamation claim. If the person knew the allegation was false when he/she made it, you probably have a claim for libel/slander (depending on how the false allegation was communicated; libel is written, slander is verbal). I believe that this statement, questioning your integrity in connection with your work, falls into the category of defamation per se, which means that you don't have to prove actual monetary damges to be compensated, but it is not 100% clear. If you have to prove damages, you may have a tough time doing so (assuming that you do not lose your job over the claim).
Answered on Sep 13th, 2018 at 1:09 PM