Can i sue for slander & who do i sue?

Question

I have been with my partner for 2.5yrs. since the beggining he has been telling me that his family &f riends in my work place & out on rd have been telling him that i have been sleeping with other men weather money is offered or not, and i am doing these things when i am at work or home, they have also told him that i have a drug habit. through all this going on i have givern birth twice so they are saying that it was happening while i was pregnant.
my partner is believing this and is saying that the law will take my children from me and give them to him if they are true.
none of it is true and i have asked him to tell me who these people are but he won't say. what can/do i do?

Answer 1

you sue the ppl who are telling your partner this.
your partner is right though...if it was true then that could happen...
In my eyes if your partner does not trust you Id bin him...relationships cannot work without trust.
Tell him its you or them(the sh!t stirrers)
Also why is he sh4gging you and having kids with you if he thinks you are a hooker?he should have his bits chopped off.

And Id just not rise to it,ignore them and keep away from them...by rising to it you're giving them what they want...a reaction.
I know its hard but at least you can hold your head up high and think you pathetic b4stards.
Try and laugh it off...say yeah and i saw her mum down at my dealers aswell she slept with the dealer for a spliff ;-)

Try getting a different job or report bullying to your boss...just keep away from them.

Good Luck
xx

Answer 2

Slander is defined in the Defamation Act. Slander, unlike libel, is spoken (although the 2 can occur concurrently). Before any legal action can be taken it is necessary to find out wherther the words spoken are "actionable". Clearly such words which impute a person is a "thief", "killer" or "terrorist" are. If the imputation is that you are a "prostitute" then this is actionable. However, to say that someone is an "unfit parent" probably is not even though such statements may cause a person distress. Publication of the actionable words must be made to a third party and this would seem to suffice in your case.

You must remember that slanderous words (or indeed any form of defamation of a person's character) are only actionable if the remarks are UNTRUE. No action will lie where what was said is true. Liability may occur for words which are made knowing they are untrue or reckless as to their truth. An honest belief by a defendant in the words spoken is no defence.

If the words are actionable then you can obviously sue them. If your partner is listening to what others are saying and repeating them then he too is incurring liability even though he may believe what has been said. Slander is actionable "per se" this is without proof of damages although if you can prove it so much the better. The problem is the amount it would take to get these people to court and PROVE the allegations made against them. At the moment the only witness you seem to have is your husband and as it he seems to believe it would he give evidence on your behalf?

Assume you did manage to take the people concerned to court and were awarded damages. Would it be worth all the hassle and trouble in the first place? Only you can decide this point. Another possible route for you to take may be via an injunction (prohibitory). This is basically to "shut up" the people who are making the remarks. I do know that they are used effectively in cases of libel to avoid the printed matter being produced. A good example might be where Fleet Street decide to run an article but are barred from doing so. I do not honestly know, despite extensive study of English law, whether it is available in cases of slander.

I hope this information helps a little and good luck with things!

Answer 3

Slander is almost impossible to prove and is costly to pursue. A person can simply say that they repeated something that they believed was true and they will be off the hook. You have to prove that they knew that what they were saying was true and would cause you a financial or reputation loss.

What is more disturbing to me is that you have stayed with a man who neither defends you or believes you and actually threatens to have your children removed. When a partner starts saying that the law will take your kids because of these type of things you had better believe that he is planning a divorce. Get yourself down to a divorce attorney NOW!

Get a copy of your doctor and hospital records. Doctors due exhaustive tests on pregnant women to insure that the baby won't be born drug addicted. These records will prove that you were not using drugs. While it is difficult to have children removed from a mother, having proof that what is being said is a lie is a good idea anyway.

For the emotional and physical well being of your kids and yourself you need to get out and get legal help.

best wishes

Answer 4

There are 2 issues here - your legal position and your personal circumstances.

Issuing court proceedings for defamation is very difficult - unfortunately there is no legal aid available for bringing a court action and you would have to be personally responsible for the legal costs involved. A solicitor can charge around £160 per hour for this type of work. However, if you are still determined to seek advice, could I suggest you try to find a solicitor who would be willing to advise you under a 'fixed fee' interview? A solicitor may be willing to give you initial advice for say £40 or £50 for a half an hour interview. Also you could consider instructing the solicitor to send a letter out to the prepretator of the malicious gossip?

Finally, with regard to your current personal relationship, is it worth staying with a partner who is so unsupportive and appears to enjoy upsetting you?

Lots of other women in your circumstances would just walk away - you deserve better than this! I think you should seek urgent support and advice from a local women's charity - (this behaviour is abusive) check out your nearest support group from say, phone book, internet, library etc.

I hope things work out for you.

Answer 5

I don't think much of your partner if he believes other people instead of you, if what they're saying is untrue.
You could do with some proper legal advice, not the myth and rumour that often crops up on here, so I'd suggest you speak to a solicitor. Most will give you the first interview free.

Answer 6

It doesn't sound like your partner is trustworthy and you need to get on birth control. If he won't tell you, he is probably lying and trying to threaten you to keep you from leaving, which seems like a good idea to me. If the people really are saying that, then it is slander and you would sue in court, but you have to know who is saying it and find witnesses (other than your "partner") who will testify that they said it.
It sounds like he has screwed you in more senses than one.

Answer 7

I can bet with you, he is lying to you. He must be so possessive that he does this as a warning. He must be sick in the head. Or, he's having a bit in the side and he does that to you to cover his tracks. Tell me why ALL the people you know would ALL go to him saying slanderous things ? Do they like him that much ?
My opinion, as soon as you can, leave him. He's big troubles !

Answer 8

Dump your partner ASAP if he is lying and untrustworthy. He is spreading the rumours and is the one to sue. BUT and it is a big but how deep is your pocket and is there anything however minor that he could exploit. I would suggest you forget the suing idea and just get shut

Answer 9

Dwelling on comments made by idiots is simply giving them credibility and you added stress. Ignore them and get on with life. Taking legal action for thing like this is not the answer.

Answer 10

Unless you own a newspaper, or you are a celebrity you will NOT have the money to sue anybody for slander.