Woman Ordered to Pay $10K for Disparaging Boss
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Hemera/Thinkstock(SYDNEY) — An appeals court has ordered an Australian woman to fork over $10,000 after she sent a disparaging email calling her then-supervisor “dishonest” and other colorful things.
Tracy Adams was ordered to pay the five-figure sum in damages to her former boss, Alan Bristow, after sending an email attacking him for “lying, laziness and theft” and calling his character into question by labeling him “untrustworthy and cunning by nature,” according to News.com.au.
In the email obtained by the site, Adams wrote, ”I have been absolutely guttered (sic) by your most recent attempts to bully me into leaving, and have decided to do so of my own accord.”
She continued in the email sent to Human Resources and other employees, “I can’t understand why Total Fasteners would choose to loose (sic) a competent and reliable employee, to keep a so-called manager of questionable and dishonest character.”
According to the website, the two worked together in the New South Wales Hunter region offices. After the email was sent around, Bristow said he felt nauseated and depressed, according to News.com.au.
While a judge believed the email was defamatory, the first lawsuit was thrown out of court. The two would battle it out in court for years as Bristow sought to prove that his reputation was damaged by the email. In May, the Court of Appeal New South Wales found the email was “clearly defamatory of the appellant” and ordered Adams to pay.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio