Question

Kevin Lee, a potential employee at Cravels Inc., provided the required information to the company's human resources department for a background check. However, his previous employer provided negative feedback about him. Although the previous employer did not have enough evidence to back his claims, Cravels Inc. decided to consider the feedback. This cost Kevin his job at Cravels Inc. In this scenario, Kevin can sue his previous employer for _____.

a) Slander
b) Defamation
c) Libel
d) Invasion of privacy

Answer 1

Kevin Lee could potentially sue his previous employer for slander, which is a type of defamation, due to the negative and unfounded feedback that cost him a job at Cravels Inc.

Step-by-step explanation:

If Kevin Lee's previous employer provided negative feedback without sufficient evidence, and that feedback was not true and caused Kevin to lose a potential job at Cravels Inc., it is likely that he could sue the previous employer for defamation. Defamation is the general term used when someone's reputation is harmed due to false statements made about them. It encompasses both slander (spoken defamation) and libel (written defamation). In this case, because the feedback was likely provided verbally during a background check or a reference call, the specific type of defamation Kevin would be dealing with is slander. Invasion of privacy does not apply here since that would involve the unauthorized release of personal information, which is not indicated in this scenario. It is important to note that for a defamation case, the plaintiff must prove that the negative information was false, damaged their reputation, and that there was an element of negligence or malice involved in the dissemination of that information.