Nursing staff members are in the lounge on their morning break. A nursing assistant thinks that a unit secretary has acquired HIV and then tells the staff that the secretary probably caught it from her husband who is a drug addict. Which legal tort has she violated?

Slander.

Explanation:

In Nursing "tort" is a civil wrongful act which may harm or try to harm a person or property.

Torts are categorized as unintentional and intentional.

Intentional torts are the violation of other's right either by degrading his/her name/character or assault. This is done knowingly to harm other's dignity.

Slander is the sub-category of intentional torts. Slandering means giving oral or verbal statement to defame other's character.

In the given question, the intentional tort of slander is violated.

So, the correct answer is slander.