Annie lists Mike, her former supervisor at Startup Inc. as a reference in her application for an open position at Tech Corp. When the Tech Corp. hiring manager calls Mike to ask about Annie, Mike falsely states that Annie was fired for leaking trade secrets. Mike actually knew that Annie quit because she was unhappy with how the business was being run, but was concerned her comments would get back to investors. Tech Corp. decides not to hire Annie based on Mikes statement. Does Annie have a defamation claim?

Group of answer choices

A. Yes, because Mike knowingly provided a false statement that hurt Annies reputation by preventing her from being hired by Tech Corp.

B. Yes, but only if Mike made this false statement to everyone who called to ask about Annies work history.

C. No, because Mike has a qualified privilege.

D. No, since Annie could have chosen not to list Mike as a reference.