Neighbors spread false tale and harass tenants

[lilhaus]

I have a home I purchased about 13 years ago. One of the neighbors hated me right of the get go because he was not asked to be the seller's broker. We call him Mr BitterChips. He told anyone who would listen that we stole this house from the elderly gentleman we purchased it from. The elderly gentleman told us he did not want to use any realtors or brokers, including the neighbor, as they would charge too much. That was his call, not ours. Fast forward to the present...

We decided to rent out the house because we could no longer stand Mr BitterChips and his lackey, the one neighbor who sides with him. And lives right next to us. Both decided to tell my tenant how we stole the house from the poor old man and how we are crooks and so awful. (They also decided to harass my tenant so bad, he finally moved; thats another topic.) They have told everyone around about 5 different versions of the sad tale.

Now that they have made my tenant move due to the constant gossip, do I have any type of slander case here?

 

[Michael Wechsler]

You have a case for slander but they are very difficult to prove and, more importantly, very costly. This is on the levl of small claims, perhaps a loss resulting from your tenant leaving perhaps. Unfortunately unless these cases cause serious damage, the time and effort of prosecuting rarely makes them worth it. I'm sorry to say that these cases are what many call textbook cases of slander because that's unfortunately only where they reside - in theory. Wish I could offer a better suggestion and I'm not sure if small claims court will allow such a cause of action.