Can I Sue Someone Who Is Telling Lies About Me?

You can file suit against someone spreading lies about you. Often times, it's easy for a defamation lawyer to send a letter to the individual, demanding that they stop spreading the rumors. However, before you spend the money to file a lawsuit I urge you to weigh the high cost of commencing a lawsuit of this kind against the outcome you're seeking.

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It doesn’t make sense to sue for a pure defamation in most cases, especially since the legal cost for a defamation suite usually far exceed whatever monetary compensation you can receive from the Court of law. After all, it's hard to qualify the damage caused by the defamation, and as such it's very hard to predict the outcome at the outset. Well, but if you are a public figure, and your professional image worth a lot of money, then it’s a different story.

Why It Make Sense to Sue for Defamation In Employment Law Cases?

In Employment Law Context, defamation can occurs in many forms. For instance, failure of employer to provide a letter of reference to an employee terminated without cause, and badmouthing, defaming, trashing the employee's professional reputation could sometimes be considered as a form of defamation. Filing a professional body disciplinary proceeding with the intent to cause harm and emotional distress to an employee could be viewed as another example of defamation in employment law context.

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In employment law cases, a claim of defamation and a claim of office harassment / discrimination will be added onto the wrongful dismissal suite, if applicable. It doesn’t cost much to add a claim of defamation in this context as you are suing the employer anyway. And in most cases, the employer has the assets, and the means to pay for the damages, if you come out victory in your lawsuit.

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And sometimes the defamation was the reason why you lost your job, why you couldn’t find an alternative employment, and why you ended up suing your employer in the first case.

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In Ontario, legislation on defamation is found in the Libel and Slander Act. Click here to learn more about Defamation. Click here to learn about Libel and Slander Act.