Slander of a Police Officer

My question involves defamation in the state of: Georgia

Hi i was recently hired at our local Mcdonalds May 4, 2009 and on the application where it states Have you ever been convicted of a felony...etc check yes or no so i checked no because i currently have a charge but have not yet been convicted but it's only a misdemeanor so sunday May 10, 2009 i was told that i was being terminated because i lied on my application by checking no because a police officer came up to mcdonalds earlier sunday morning/afternoon and told a manager that he was looking for me and that i was involved with assisting a in a robbery at my other job and basically made it seem to my managers that i was being convicted of a felony so they basically said i lied on my application and terminated me for that. my question is what can i do? i was told i could sue the whole police department for slander. if so how much can i possibly win if this was to occur ?

Your not going to be able to sue the whole department. In fact your not even going to be able to sue the officer that showed up to your work.

The officer was most likely acting in good faith, with in the scope of his employment, acting upon his duties underlined by law for a Law Enforcement Officer.

All of this means he most likely has some type of immunity by law.

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a police officer came up to mcdonalds earlier sunday morning/afternoon and told a manager that he was looking for me and that i was involved with assisting a in a robbery at my other job and basically made it seem to my managers that i was being convicted of a felony so they basically said i lied on my application and terminated me for that.

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ARE you being investigated for possible assistance with a robbery at your other job? What is the charge you've not yet been convicted of?

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my question is what can i do? i was told i could sue the whole police department for slander.

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The truth is an absolute defense to an accusation of slander. Slander is when one makes statements that are deliberately and maliciously false, in an effort to discredit or harm another person.

If you're being investigated for - and have been charged with - a crime, it's a matter of public record and not a lie at all.

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if so how much can i possibly win if this was to occur ?

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Even if you did have grounds to sue for slander, it doesn't work like that. There's no magic jackpot awarded.

im being charged for theft by taking misdemeanor because it was under $500 and i believe that its not legal for an officer to come up to my job and say that i was assisting in a robbery and its considered a felony, by him saying that i got fired and im not even gettin charged w/ any felony at all....

How do you know what the officer did or didn't say? Were you a witness to or a part of the conversation? If so, you could have corrected the information. If not, then you don't really KNOW what was said.

yes i have a witness which is the manager at mcdonalds and she said that he came up to mcdonalds saying he was looking for me because i was involved in assisting in a robbery of another restaurant which he made it seem like im facing felony charges to the manager in turn that manager spoke to the manager that hired me and i was fired because they said that i lied on my application since i checked no next to if u have ever been convicted of a felony check yes or no

So, this manager doesn't seem to understand the difference between being investigated and being convicted, but you're going to take her word about what the officer said?

well yeah. why would she lie about it i just started to work there and all the managers liked how i worked so i doubt they'd make up something and fire me.

I understand where you're coming from... I guess it just seems odd to me that you're willing to believe that a police officer, who doesn't know you, and most likely has no personal stake in the outcome of your case, is a liar. BUT this manager is absolutely telling the truth. And lets assume that she is telling the truth (as she remembers it)... Is it possible that she is confused about the actual specific wording the officer used?

I know you're upset about losing your job, but I don't think it's the officer's fault. And even if it is, you'd be hard pressed to prove it.

well the officers in my town know my parents personally and i wouldnt be surprised if they did because my father didnt want me to work anyway and i think its possible that he told the officer to go up to my job but still that isnt right for him doing it and i called the station to see if they really were looking for me but they said no and that they dont know of anyone reporting from mcdonalds so i personally think its my fathers doing since hes friends with most of the police here but i still think its illegal coming to my job giving false information to get me fired.