I have proof they are giving negative comments from the job ref.company I hired to prove their negat

I have been a very good employee for a very good friend of mine for the past 10 years. I don't have medical/dental benefits. I began a job search, my employer (friend knew of this, I had nothing to hide) I suspected my employer was giving negative job referenses on me, so I hired www.jobreferences.com, my suspicions were correct they were giving improper posible defamitory/slanderous comments regarding my employment..probobly because they didn't want to loose me as an employee, now since I approached them advising them to cease and disist from anyfurther negative comments regarding any future employers verifying my employement.......they my boss fired my by beeping my beeper, I called him back and he informed me I no longer have a job! I just applied for unemployment and am awaiting the employment offices decision on collecting the maximum of $405. per week. Can they still give negative job references on my for no good reason other than spite? p.s. we have been friends for over 30+ years I only suspect they didn't want to loose a good employee, I have applied at many of their competition cleaning companies they won't even acknowlege me am I being blackballed?

1 answer  |  asked Nov 25, 2001 8:30 PM [EST]  |  applies to New York

Answers (1)

David M. Lira
Employer Giving Bad References

Whether your employer is saying anything defamatory depends on exactly what that employer is saying. Generally, to be defamation, the employer has to be saying something about you which seems to be a fact. Opinions, even if negative, generally aren't defamatory. So, if an employer says about an employee, "he stole money from us," that would likely be defamatory. But, if the employer says, "we don't believe she's been entirely honest with us," that probably would not be defamatory.

If we assume that what your employer is saying is defamatory, especially if the employer continues to say it, then you can probably sue the employer for the resulting damage.

posted by David M. Lira  |  Nov 26, 2001 09:06 AM [EST]

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