I have a question that arose out of a discussion we were having at work.
Last month we had someone steal a generator from a conex box behind our shop located in an industrial park.
Last week an employee from another shop in our same building threw away some shop equipment in our 15 yd dumpster. We removed the equipment and planed to dismantle it for scrap like all the other items that end up in the dumpster. This gentleman came to our office the next morning and asked to retrieve the equipment stating he threw away the wrong item. The item was given back to him and he placed into his personal vehicle. That morning the manager and I spoke with the manager for the other shop. We informed him that the dumpster wasn’t a community dumpster and that we paid for it removal. We didn’t mind them using it but to please ask before in case we have to fill it ourselves.
This prompted to ask what was thrown out and by whom. He stated that the item in question had been reported as missing yesterday. A short while later he returned and asked if this was the item we had found in the dumpster, which it was. The equipment had been returned to their work truck. Their manager also stated that they had tools and other equipment come up missing over the last 2 weeks and they couldn’t tell who was removing the items.
I wanted to inform the investigator for the local police department about this incident however out site manager prevented me from doing so because he stated it would be slander and that would be liable. It was my viewpoint that it wasn’t slander and it wasn’t knowingly false information that we made public.
Would providing this individuals information to the investigator be slanderous?
Last month we had someone steal a generator from a conex box behind our shop located in an industrial park.
Last week an employee from another shop in our same building threw away some shop equipment in our 15 yd dumpster. We removed the equipment and planed to dismantle it for scrap like all the other items that end up in the dumpster. This gentleman came to our office the next morning and asked to retrieve the equipment stating he threw away the wrong item. The item was given back to him and he placed into his personal vehicle. That morning the manager and I spoke with the manager for the other shop. We informed him that the dumpster wasn’t a community dumpster and that we paid for it removal. We didn’t mind them using it but to please ask before in case we have to fill it ourselves.
This prompted to ask what was thrown out and by whom. He stated that the item in question had been reported as missing yesterday. A short while later he returned and asked if this was the item we had found in the dumpster, which it was. The equipment had been returned to their work truck. Their manager also stated that they had tools and other equipment come up missing over the last 2 weeks and they couldn’t tell who was removing the items.
I wanted to inform the investigator for the local police department about this incident however out site manager prevented me from doing so because he stated it would be slander and that would be liable. It was my viewpoint that it wasn’t slander and it wasn’t knowingly false information that we made public.
Would providing this individuals information to the investigator be slanderous?
