employment defamation

Can a CEO threaten to pull the contract of a group provider if they refuse to let go a contract employee working at his facility because the person was rude or disrepectful to him/her. Can the contract worker who was prevented from working at the facility and lost significant work time sue for defamation. The contracted group had private conversations with the CEO and the CEO sent memo's over email with reference to this so the employee has not proof except for what has been implied verbally and in a brief email stating the CEO wants your head on a platter

2 answers  |  asked Nov 1, 2013 2:35 PM [EST]  |  applies to Florida

Answers (2)

Arthur Schofield
There is a lot involved in your question; likely to much to be addressed in this formum and, as such, I recommend you consult with a lawyer who will also want to review pertinent documents/contracts. General answers, however, are that the termination of a contract will be determined by the language of the contract. People can be removed from a position and or a premises for being rude, particularly if the employment relationship is one that is at-will. As for defamation, one's opinion that another was rude will seldom, if ever, result in a viable claim for defamation. Hope this helps.

posted by Arthur Schofield  |  Nov 4, 2013 06:46 AM [EST]
Phyllis Towzey
First, whether the CEO can terminate the contract with the provider depends upon the terms of the contract between the company and the provider. As far as whether the individual contract worker has a claim for defamation, the answer is likely no. Defamation requires false factual statements, not simply an expression of opinion (i.e. the CEO says he/she thinks the worker's actions or statements were rude) or a personal preference (the CEO simply doesn't like the worker). In order to tell you more, I would have to know specifically what the CEO said, and the context of the conversation.

posted by Phyllis Towzey  |  Nov 1, 2013 3:12 PM [EST]

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