Q: Do I have a legitimate case against my former employer for defamation of character, lost wages, emotional damages, etc ?
On 7/27 I was unexpectedly directed to a back office by my boss where the door was closed and I was told to sit down. I was completely unaware of what was going on and I was in this small office with my direct supervisor and a woman xxx from the HR department. xxx and my boss proceeded to intimidate and threaten me in an attempt to coerce me to confess to something I didnt do. They threatened me with immediate arrest and prosecution for felony theft charges. I was forced to stay and give a notarized written statement despite my requests to leave. When I was finally allowed to leave I was promptly notified of my termination from the company. My former employer then proceeded to blackball me in the industry by telling other employers that I had stolen money and not to hire me. The defamation of my character caused me to lose business relationships as well as personal relationships.
A: I have not researched that issue legally, because I have had no cases on that subject. However, when I was a senior partner at a large, multi-state law firm, it was very important, based on our lawyers' advice, that the CEO only disclose the date of hire and the date the employee left. That was very important. I suspect that our corporate lawyers were correct that you can get in a lot of trouble if you disclose more than that. I suggest that you obtain local counsel to help you with the matter,.
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