Internet slander against your workplace

[Antisocial_Worker]

This is probably a dumb question, but can anything be done about lies being spread on the internet about the place where you work? I came across this beauty in the forums run by our local newspaper, and it puts me in the mood to eat someone's pet.

2 yrs ago my septic tank pretty much exploded back into my house, so me and my family had to live in a hotel for 6 weeks. We went to one of the hotels on Sugarloaf Rd. Owned by one of the many Patels. (It wasn't the Nondescriptive Inn, that is another Patel). Anyway, the lady that owns the joint with her hubby, sells the master key to ALL the rooms to a local drug dealer, and he goes "shopping" while you are gone. I came back and my wedding ring was gone and my room had been 'looked thru'. Of course they blamed me, and HCSO didn't do squat. ANd then they wondered why we checked out the next morning. Are there any hotels that are 'American owned" anymore?

What blatant, outright, utter bullshit! Does this cross the line to slander? Can I ask the paper to delete this post from their forums? What an unmitigated load of crap!

[Brighid45]

I'd say you've certainly got the right to rebut that statement and present the truth in the same forum. If the newspaper denies you that right, then I'd say you've got a case of not only slander, but also bigotry, since the point of the post seems (imo) to slam your boss for her nationality. I don't know the legalities, but you might want to consult an attorney and find out what you can do.

[Antisocial_Worker]

I did respond, but because I don't have the details of this woman's complaint I can't refute it point by point. Also, I'm sorry to say, I engaged in some CYA by making it sound as though I'm not at this very second camped out behind a hotel front desk. I don't need any psychos coming in in the middle of the night to settle an internet score.

Here's my response:

Wow... a liar AND a racist -- you're quite a piece of work. I have news for you. The Patels here in Hendersonville ARE American citizens, which makes their hotels American owned. Furthermore, no hotel does what you're accusing them of, and the Patels are not part of any sort of "Indian Mafia" as another one of the loons on here claims. I've worked with enough of the hotels here in town to know how they work and who runs them.

People like you are a big part of the reason hotels try not to rent to local residents. Typically, the locals are even bigger bastards than the tourists. The Hendersonville Police Department did nothing about your claim because they can't arrest someone for being stupid.

I'm glad I don't have to put up with you people any more.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Well, unless the letter writer can prove that the hotel owner actually did give somebody the master key to all the rooms, she is guilty of libel (which this technically is; slander is generally spoken while libel is generally written and then published).


Accusing a business of being an accesory to a crime is a very serious charge, and one that had better be backed up with solid evidence.

I don't know if you can sue the newspaper, because they don't have control over who posts what in their forums. But you could certainly go after the person who posted that to the forum.

[Becks]

Well, unless the letter writer can prove that the hotel owner actually did give somebody the master key to all the rooms, she is guilty of libel (which this technically is; slander is generally spoken while libel is generally written and then published).

Beat me to it. I was going to say the same thing. (Thank you, sophomore year in HS Journalism class!!!!!)

[CanadaGirl]

1. Why is she leaving her wedding ring lying around and NOT on her finger? Idiot.
2. If the ring WAS stolen, and not lost, she should be blaiming the cleaning staff, not the entire freaking hotel and manager.
3. Her room being "looked through" was probably the cleaning staff just doing their job of making the bed, vacuuming, etc.

Sigh... some people.

[Becks]

Well, CanadaGirl, your points make sense...

...to US...

...because we're not sucky people.

[friendofjimmyk]

GRRR, you know what this woman sounds like? Besides a total bitch, she sounds like she belongs to a group of people I have no tolerance for....the one's who when something happens to them, they make outrageous irrational assumptions and blame an ENTIRE group of people for the actions of one person (I believe that is prejudice and racism at its best) OR better yet, she lost her ring on her own - but that cannot be the case - oh no - it was stolen by the drug dealers that the hotel manager knows and allows free reign of all the rooms of said hotel because *SARCASM* THAT SHIT ACTUALLY HAPPENS! *END SARCASM*

[Rahmota]

Just to throw my two coppers in, I gotta agree that it sounds rather libelous to me. But I'm not a judge or a lawyer and getting one of them to say so would be rather expensive. About all that can be done without involving them though would be to engage in some positive PR for the hotel.

And yeah that "lady" sounds like she belongs to one of those fun filled clubs that knows the truth about the way (insert ethinic/religious/other nonlike them group) behaves behind the mask. Definately prejudice and racism at its finest example.

[Antisocial_Worker]

At the moment, although who knows how long this might last, the thread where this was posted is dropping out of sight. No one's posted on it since I last did at 9:45 PM on October 14. I hope it just keeps dropping.

But if not, I suppose it will be time to start the email campaign to the site administrator.

[MadMike]

1. Why is she leaving her wedding ring lying around and NOT on her finger? Idiot.

I didn't always have mine on my finger when we were on the beach or in the pool. I don't know what salt or chlorine would do to the metal, so I take it off if I go swimming. Plus, for some reason, having the ring on wet skin is really uncomfortable for me.

However, if I do leave it off, I certainly don't leave it lying around. I stick it at the bottom of a drawer, underneath a pile of clothing.

Haunted: I certainly would have contacted a moderator or the site administrator and asked to have the post removed. They could be setting themselves up for legal hassles by having a post like that on their site, so if they have any sense at all, they'd want to know about it. I know I wouldn't just sit idly by if someone posted something ridiculous like that on CS.

[Bella_Vixen]

Why not ask to have the ring locked in the hotel safe?

[Becks]

Bella, because that obviously would make sense.

[ladodger34]

1. Why is she leaving her wedding ring lying around and NOT on her finger? Idiot.
2. If the ring WAS stolen, and not lost, she should be blaiming the cleaning staff, not the entire freaking hotel and manager.
3. Her room being "looked through" was probably the cleaning staff just doing their job of making the bed, vacuuming, etc.

Sigh... some people.

It's because this lady has never made her acquaintence with Occam's razor.

[bars.of.a.rhyme]

Why not ask to have the ring locked in the hotel safe?

Duh.

The safe is under the control of the staff. The same staff that GAVE THE HOTEL KEYS TO DRUG DEALERS. Are you completely off your nut? Why would you give a wedding ring to those people? They're not even Americans! You can tell they aren't, because they have a last name of non-Anglo origin!

Sheez.

The Internet should require a license.