Managers cannot be sued for defamation when giving bad references because only employers are held responsible by state and federal courts.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

First-line supervisors and managers, not just employers, are potentially at risk for defamation lawsuits. A communication is defamatory if it is false and tends to harm the reputation of another by lowering the person in the estimation of the community or by deterring other persons from associating or dealing with him or her.

Managers Cannot Be Sued for Defamation When Giving Bad References