AboutPaul D. Friedman, M.A., Ph.D., J.D. Expertise I have been a practicing civil trial attorney since 1989 and have a master's degree in bioethics and a doctorate of philosophy in comparative ethics of law, medicine and business.
I am Certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and am Certified as a Specialist in Injury and Wrongful Death Litigation by the State Bar of Arizona Board of Legal Specialization.
Experience Experience in the area I have been a practicing trial attorney since 1989 and I have a masters degree in bioethics and a doctorate of philosophy regarding comparative ethics.
Organizations belong to State Bar of Arizona
State Bar of Colorado (inactive)
District of Columbia Bar (inactive)
Federal Bar
Licensed in Arizona District Court
Licensed in Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
Licensed in the United States Supreme Court American Bar Association National Board of Trial Advocacy
American Association for Justice
Arizona Trial Lawyers Association
American Society for Bioethics and Humanities Kennedy Institute of Ethics National Association of Realtors
Education/Credentials Bachelor of Arts 1985
Juris Doctorate 1989
Master of Arts in Bioethics 2004 Doctorate of Philosphy 2006
Awards and Honors Phi Beta Kappa
Multiple Who's Who
Publications A list of my copyrighted publications and presentations is contained at WWW.EXPERTETHICS.COM
Question I am in the law enforcement profession. Recently a co-worker has made a verbal statement stating that I provided test questions and answers to another employee to ensure that they got a position within the department. This statement was made to another co-worker and not directly to me. My job is based on integrity and this statement questions it. I also hold a secret security clearance, which if an investigation involving me is started, I will now have to disclose this when my clearance is evaluated and I could possibly lose my clearance because of it. Now that my integrity has been questioned and my reputation has been tarnished, does this incident have the elements of slander or defamation?
Answer Mike,
It is unclear based on the facts whether this is defamation (slander). Defamation is: 1) a false statement; 2) which the maker knows to be false; 3) published to a third party; 4)with the intent of lessening the reputation of the victim; 5) which lowers the reputation of the victim; and 6) causes damages. If the co-worker believed the statement to be true, it may not be actionable defamation. If the person who heard the statement did not believe it, it may not be actionable defamation. If it did not hurt your reputation or cause any actual damages, it may not be actionable defamation.
