What is the legal liability of a Superintendent of Schools allowing slander to ruin an employees life?

Answer 1

That might simply depend on what one can prove in court. If there are witnesses, if the slander is a provable offense, and if one can actually demonstrate (with evidence) that the alleged slander from the superintendent somehow directly lead to the events/outcomes which ruined the employee's life then there may be a case.

That person (if they truly feel their rights have been violated and are in need of compensation) should probably first try and rectify their problems first by using the school system to seek justice. If they are refused, then they should probably find witnesses and collect evidence before even seeking a lawyer. After that a lawyer can consult them before actually suing anyone as to whether or not the abuse constitutes the LEGAL definition of slander. They can also advise this employee whether or not they could realistically receive damages in a settlement.

If slander is prove-able and damages occurred, then the superintendent can probably be held legally liable. A lot depends on the judge's decision/severity of the slander.

It's noted that the question reads "allowing" slander to ruin an employees life. If the superintendent somehow failed to stop OTHER people from slandering an employee, and did not commit that offense themselves, then the likelihood of dealing with the problem legally is a lot less. It would probably be best to hold those people responsible within the educational system, not the judicial system.