HELP! former boss plans to sue me for libel.?

[jolie95]

Just got an email from my former boss (owner of a small local restaurant) saying he plans to sue me for libel. Here are the circumstances:

I was approached by the owner in private and asked if I could procure him some marijuana while his wife was out of town. I told him no, I dont do drugs, and dont know anyone who could get him some, then told him to go ask someone else. Several weeks later, I quit on an unrelated note.

Several weeks later, another team member who was a friend also quit, and the owner took to twitter to berate him about his professional abilities. I responded on the tweet telling him to leave others alone. In the tweet I also mentioned the fact that maybe he shouldn't be asking his staff to get him drugs. This is what he is apparently planning to sue me over.

SO....

2 questions:

1. Does he have a case? The statement actually happened (he DID approach me for drugs) and with the business being so small, is it even libelous to his business?

2. In a response to my tweet, he wrote this :

" Id also like to nominate ************ (my screen name) because he and I, despite our differences, have a deep love for one another. Plus he gets me Meth."

Isnt this just as libelous? He is accusing me of being a Meth Dealer. Perhaps he meant it as tongue in cheek, but I am under the impression that sarcasm and jest cannot be legally construed in written word.

Any help is greatly appreciated. I am just a college kid who serves tables and who has little money to spend on a lawyer, any advice would be amazing.

[caffar]

If you were to take it at this point only.. yep.. he has a case.. you have written about him and in that text you have accused him of obtaining drugs via his employees.

But TRUTH is the ultimate defense of liable.

All you need is one other, non-involved former or present employee who will say the same thing (and say it in court) and you are home free.

The bad news is that you will likely have to shoulder your own legal expenses and this is NOT a small claims action if he pursues it.

Tweeting is like ringing a bell.. VERY hard to unring it and two people reading the same post can have different takes.


For now don't sweat it because you can not do ANYTHING about it at this point except write yourself into more of a corner.

(For example....If you apologize you confrim that you said it..and so on).. So for now, twitter carefully and learn this lesson well, grasshopper. Do not contact your old boss except in writing (as in a letter) and have a friend or an attorney review your letter before you post it). Likewise, do not accept calls from him and tell him that all communication must be in writing.

Obviously, also, you save a written printout of HIS twitter before it disappears.

.

[arvad]

He is going to take you to court. Admitting he is a drug addict. Meth. And your word against his he tryed to buy drugs from you. And he best have strong proof he has slept with you. The Judge will love this one. But lets hope he do's go to court here. Make it much easyer for your counter suit.

[sebastiano53]

He can sue but he has to prove that what you said cause him harm. It's an uphill battle on his side. So the lesson you should take away from this is be careful what you say on the web. Stop engaging in conversation with him. An never list him as a former employer, didn't think of that did you?
Never say anything bad about a place you use to work. They are part of your work history & can effect you future.