What can I do if I was threatened behind closed doors by a co-worker?
Full Question:
Answer:
Conduct that harms other people or their property is generally called a tort.; It is a private wrong against a person for which the person may recover damages.; The injured party may sue the wrongdoer to recover damages to compensate him for the harm or loss caused.;
The tort of intentionally causing mental distress arises when a defendant purposely subjects a plaintiff to unnecessary emotional distress.; Outrageous conduct must generally be present.; For example, if a person bawls someone out in public with the intent to humiliate the person, this could possibly be the tort of intentional infliction of mental distress.; Damages must be proven, however.
A form of publication which tends to cause one to lose the esteem of the community is defamation.; This is injury to reputation. A person is liable for the defamation of another.; In order to prove defamation, the plaintiff must prove:
that a statement was made about the plaintiff's reputation, honesty or integrity that is not true;
publication to a third party (i.e., another person hears or reads the statement); and
the plaintiff suffers damages as a result of the statement.
Slander is a form of defamation that consists of making false oral statements about a person which would damage that person's reputation. If a communication is made in good faith on a subject in which the party communicating it has a legitimate right or interest in communicating it, this communication may be exempt from slander liability due to a qualified privileged.
The relevance of an alleged slanderous statement by an employee about another employee may be protected by a qualified privilege from liability for slander. However, the alleged slanderous statements must not be malicious and must be made regarding a matter within the range of the employer's business.
