Is providing content for defamation illegal?

[DefQuestion]

Jurisdiction

New York

Someone sent an anonymous letter to several people at my job to get me in trouble. I cannot prove who wrote it, but the letter contains defamatory information provided by 2 other people who are named -- people who seem to have provided the information contained in the letter. Is that punishable? Or does all of the fault lie with the person who sent the letter?

 

[Zigner]

How do you intend to prove that the anonymous letter was actually truthful about the statements that are alleged to have been made by others?

In any case, defamation is a civil matter that you would have to pursue at your own cost. There is no defamation police.

 

[zddoodah]

the letter contains defamatory information provided by 2 other people who are named -- people who seem to have provided the information contained in the letter.

"Provided" or "seem to have provided"? Those are very different things.

Is that punishable?

In the abstract and without any detail whatsoever, the only possible answer is maybe.

Here are a few questions for you:

What exactly did the "defamatory information" say (please omit or change any names)?

You wrote that the letter was sent "to several people at [your] job to get [you] in trouble." What is the nature of your relationships with these "several people" (i.e., are they supervisors, subordinates, co-workers, etc.)? Did you "get in trouble" or suffer any other adverse consequences? Did any of the recipients of the letter believe the information after having received a denial/explanation from you?

If you did suffer adverse consequences, how much in actual monetary damages have you suffered?

Have you spoken to the "2 other people" to try and determine whether, in fact, they provided the "defamatory information" to the sender of the letter and to try and identify the sender? If not, why not? If so, what was the result of your discussions?

 

[army judge]

Someone sent an anonymous letter to several people at my job to get me in trouble. I cannot prove who wrote it,

Yeah, that is probably why "someone" was smart enough to send the letter "anonymously", or even smarter to have someone FAR removed from your workplace to send the letter "anonymously".

I cannot prove who wrote it, but the letter contains defamatory information provided by 2 other people who are named -- people who seem to have provided the information contained in the letter. Is that punishable?

Unless it can be PROVED who penned the missive that "ratted" you out, alas, it is a a lost cause.

Is that punishable?

Or does all of the fault lie with the person who sent the letter?

The author must be found, in order to properly answer the two questions hereinabove, mate.

Lest ye forget, mate, TRUTH is an ultimate defense to libel.