Can I sue for Slander?

Question

We had a dog that passed away from surgical complications a few weeks ago and my neighbor called the police because he says we killed our dog. The cops favored me and said it was not abuse that killed our dog and that he was harassing me by coming onto my property, taking pictures of my house and cursing at my family. Now he comes by once a day and still takes pictures and is telling everyone in my neighborhood that we are dog murderers. I have neighbors willing to testify on my defense. I have filed a complaint with the Sheriff's dept, but can i sue him for giving my family a bad name in the neighborhood?

Answer 1

yes u can...thats considered 'defamation of character'

Answer 2

Well, you are less protected than someone whose career depends on their reputation. Politicians and celebrities can generally sue over this kind of stuff, but private citizens generally have no recourse if they can't prove that they have been harmed in some way. It's perfectly legal to damage someone's reputation and spread lies about them if they don't rely on their reputation for a living or something like that. Believe me, I've tried and you'll probably get laughed unless your name is Tom Cruise and some British reporter is telling everyone you're g*y.

Answer 3

His statement is probably slanderous, but a suit for slander requires damages.  That is, you must prove that someone believed him and that as a consequence you have suffered tangible financial harm.  If, for example, someone refused to do business with you because of his statements, you can sue for your damages.  Otherwise, you spend many thousands of dollars to prove that you are entitled to nothing.

Answer 4

Don't think so. I believe slander and libel can only be brought by the injured party. You can nail the neighbor for bashing you, but your neighborhood has to look out for itself.

Now a class action suit is another matter. If enough of your neighbors get together, you might find an attorney willing to take the case. But, again, I think it would be pretty difficult to prove in court how one harassing you can damage your neighbors.

Answer 5

If your neighbors are willing to go to bat for you in court, they're obviously not swayed by the nut's arguments. Ergo, you haven't suffered any loss of reputation to sue over.

The guy sounds like a nut.

Tell him unequivocally that he's not allowed to set foot on your property, and if he does, you'll consider it trespassing and alert the authorities.

Also seek a temporary restraining order, which will keep him off your property and out of your face. They're not that difficult to obtain, but to make it permanent you'll have to go to court.

Sorry about your dog. Good luck.