My question involves defamation in the state of: OK
At my company an employee sent anonymous email to a superior's wife (from his work computer), telling her the superior is having an affair with a coworker and also reported this to the HR department (as it is a violation of company policy). While the employee may very well believe the accusations are true, there are no facts to support it and the company has dismissed the complaint as groundless. This employee has also made it clear to many people that he does not like the superior and would like to see him fired, which could show malice, right? Could this employee be in serious danger of being sued by the two people he accused? If so, how can he defend himself? If he made the statement with no facts or evidence, when he is faced with a lawsuit can he then investigate the plaintiffs further by looking at emails, phone records and text messages in an attempt to prove that it was true? Or would he have to prove that his statement was true based only on what he knew when he made the statement? Thanks in advance for your answers.

