Defamation—also called calumny, vilification, slander (for transitory statements), and libel (for written, broadcast, or otherwise published words)—is the communication of a statement that makes a claim, expressly stated or implied to be factual, that may give an individual, business, product, group, government, or nation a negative image. It is usually, but not always,[1] a requirement that this claim be false and that the publication is communicated to someone other than the person defamed (the claimant).
In common law jurisdictions, slander refers to a malicious, false and defamatory spoken statement or report, while libel refers to any other form of communication such as written words or images. Most jurisdictions allow legal actions, civil and/or criminal, to deter various kinds of defamation and retaliate against groundless criticism. Related to defamation is public disclosure of private facts, which arises where one person reveals information that is not of public concern, and the release of which would offend a reasonable person. "Unlike [with] libel, truth is not a defense for invasion of privacy."[2]
False light laws are "intended primarily to protect the plaintiff's mental or emotional well-being."[3] If a publication of information is false, then a tort of defamation might have occurred. If that communication is not technically false but is still misleading, then a tort of false light might have occurred.[3]
In most civil law jurisdictions, defamation is dealt with as a crime rather than a tort.[4]
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McCarthy was an opportunistic demagogue who used the US Senate's hearings process to libel and slander thousands of Americans purely for political gain. ...
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M river and t whid under the knife posted March 22 2007 M River and T Whid the two artists who make MTAA work have undergone a major operation
Tom.
Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:39:00 GM
According to Mr Griffiths, some attempts at . slander. or . libel. are much more than just unsubstantiated gossip to a customer, which is hard to prove, but some individuals and companies are using the internet and emails to third parties to ...
