Slanderous Accusations
Question
Shalom: My question involves the penalty for a serious false accusation made by a Jewish woman against a Jewish man. A woman spreads the accusation among Jews that a man, a. attempted to rape her, or b. attempted to sexually seduce her. Either accusation is a Lie, complete Sheker. What is the penalty or punishment to the woman for either of these Lies. Would the man bring this woman to a Beth Din? Yechiel B.
Answers
Yes, absolutely. A person who slanders someone else can be brought to Beth Din. If the person is found guilty by the judges, they will impose a penalty on the guilty party. In cases of slander, part of the punishment the judges will give is, often, that their ruling should be made known publicly so that it becomes common knowledge that all that they were accused of was untrue.
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team