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Questions tagged [defamation]

Tortious damage to a reputation. When the defamation is specifically written use "libel"; use "slander" when it is specifically spoken.

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Is it legal to publish a cease and desist letter that I have received?

I've received a cease and desist letter for defamation from a local businessperson that I believe to be without legal basis - the actionable statements listed are clearly statements of my opinion. Would it be legal to publish this letter publicly,…
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I am being threatened for defamation for sharing an article about an alleged scammer which was published in local news site

There is an alleged scammer in my community. An article about him was published by our local news site. As I have a lot of contacts, I shared the article to all my contacts and it became viral. He is now threatening to sue me for defamation. He is…
user1034912
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In fiction, is it legal to state a newspaper wrote an article when in fact it never did?

I'm writing a novel. I have a line in my book that goes something like this: He looked at the newspaper on the table. The Chicago Tribune featured an article that read, "Hank Reed sentenced to 20 years in prison." The Chicago Tribune is a real…
user237736
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Is it defamatory to publish nonsense under somebody else's name?

Imagine that a supposedly academic journal intentionally publishes an AI-generated article which is full of claims which are easily verifiable nonsense to any expert in the field. The article is published under the name of a real academic who works…
kaya3
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Can legal action reasonably be taken against someone unsavory for endorsing your product/company?

Advertisers don't want their product/company associated with certain people/content. Which is why a lot of ads don't play on more controversial content (e.g. demonetized videos on Youtube). But what if someone unsavory, against the wishes of a…
chausies
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Can someone explain the thinking behind the libel (?) case between Trump and Carroll for a non-US audience?

As far as I understand the situation between Donald Trump and EJ Carroll she has, very publicly, accused him of rape but there is no conviction or anything else "supporting" that accusation (e.g., a police investigation because a crime likely has…
d-b
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Someone has a video of me doing drugs. Is there legal protection against its release?

It's a bit like slander, except there is no false information. I wanted to Google whatever this may be called to see what my options are if this video is ever released. I'm stumped as to what to search for though. A psychopath of a roommate in…
I messed up
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Do Twitter disclaimers saying "opinions are my own" give any legal protection to the account owner?

A larger number of twitter accounts have a biography stating that tweets are their own opinion not that of their company. An example: Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer Does this actually protect the employee from being…
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What is the smallest audience for a communication that has been deemed capable of defamation?

Descriptions of the criteria for defamation seem widely to describe any statement that is communicated to a third party as being defamatory if they are (broadly speaking) false and harmful. This seems to allow for the possibility that relatively…
Will
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Is accusing someone of a crime slander if you believe the accusation to be true?

I have just read a short story ("The Disagreeable Man", by Henry Cecil) in which a dubious (to me) legal trick is used to con a small town out of a significant amount of money. I want to know if the story is legally plausible. Spoilers abound in…
user2577043
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Defamation due to breach of confidentiality

Hypothetical: I say negative stuff about John Doe to my psychologist, stuff which isn't defamation per se. My psychologist doesn't directly act on my statements, but does share my statements with third parties. Due to those statements those third…
Matthew Cline
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Is it safer to sarcastically say "This is not a scam" than honestly say "This is a scam"?

It is a thing that youtubers get sued for calling out scams. One "solution" is to sarcastically say something non-defamatory while making it clear you mean the opposite. I am fairly sure this is done here for comedic rather than legal effect but…
User65535
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Can you defame a profession?

Suppose someone publishes the statement "All lawyers are thieves." Obviously, this is not true; there most likely are some lawyers who are also thieves, but certainly not all. Would it be possible for any lawyer to sue this person for defamation,…
Someone
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Sue newspaper or the reporter for libel?

Are there any reasons to only sue a newspaper (the corporation) for libel and not the individual reporter who libeled you?
Gill Hamel
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What makes politicians "fair game"?

People say and write things about politicians they would never dream of saying about celebrities or corporate tycoons. They accuse them of lying, corruption, and racism and create political cartoons featuring derogatory caricatures. If I'm not…
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