Legal Question in Personal Injury in Missouri

Re: Slander I have proof

It seems odd that an employer would terminate an employee on the basis of a family member's action, but nothing in Missouri law prohibits an employer from making such a termination. In Missouri an employer may terminate an employee for any reason, or no reason, but not for an unlawful reason. An unlawful reason would tend to be anything that violated civil rights law (age, sex, race, disability, etc.).

If the letter states as a fact that you engaged in an act that is lewd or potentially criminal, you may have a cause of action for slander. The statements of the employer, however, may be privileged in some instances.

In order to prevail in your slander lawsuit, you would have to show that this comment in the letter to your wife in some way damaged your reputation and caused you to incur financial and economic loss. Simply having hurt feelings over a statement like this will not entitle you to a recovery in most cases.

Further complicating the issue, you have a one-year statute of limitations in cases of libel and slander, and you need to act fast to secure an attorney if you believe you have significant economic damages that you can prove are related to the slanderous statements.

Good luck.