Is an employer held liable for defamatory statements made by an independent contractor?

In New Hampshire, an employer may be held liable for defamatory statements made by an independent contractor if they had knowledge of the statement and failed to take reasonable steps to stop it. This is known as vicarious liability. In general, employers are not liable for the statements of independent contractors because the employer did not directly make the statement themselves and therefore did not directly engage in the defamatory behavior. However, employers can become liable if they are aware of the statement and do not take reasonable steps to stop it. For example, if an employer hired a contractor to do some work and the contractor published a defamatory statement about another individual, the employer may be liable if the employer had knowledge of the statement and failed to take reasonable steps to stop it. However, if the employer had no knowledge of the statement, then they would not be held liable. It is important to note that in New Hampshire, employers are not automatically liable for defamatory statements made by independent contractors. Employers are only liable if they had knowledge of the statement and failed to take reasonable steps to stop it. Liability will not be imposed if the employer had no knowledge of the statement.

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Is an employer held liable for defamatory statements made by an independent contractor?

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