Harris v. Temple

PHILLIPS, Judge.

The trial of this action for slander ended in plaintiff obtaining judgment for $3,500 in compensatory damages and $7,500 in punitive damages for being falsely accused by the defendants of giving the Kroger store a worthless check for groceries. Since the action is for slander per se, the verdict and judgment can stand only if the evidence presented is sufficient to establish the following: (1) That defendant spoke base or defamatory words which tended to prejudice her in her reputation, office, trade, business or means of livelihood or hold her up to disgrace, ridicule or…