24. Cashier had worked for Anvil Bank for ten years. He wa…
24. Cashier had worked for Anvil Bank for ten years. He was then fired due to the bank’s desire to reduce expenses and return to profitability. Cashier next landed a job with Bigelow Bank. Denise, who was a fellow employee of Cashier’s at Anvil, believed that the banking world should be run more efficiently. She therefore wrote an anonymous letter to the president of Bigelow, stating, “You really should think twice about keeping Cashier on your payroll. He was fired from Anvil for consistently taking a one-hour lunch period instead of the allowed half-hour.” Denise believed that her statement was correct; however, if she had used reasonable care, she would have discovered that even though Cashier did take longer lunches, this had nothing to do with his firing (which was purely for financial reasons and was based on relative seniority). The president disregarded Denise’s letter. Cashier discovered that Denise sent the letter and sued Denise for libel. Denise defends herself on the grounds that she was privileged to make the statement she made. Is Denise’s assertion correct?