If anyone has ever said anything bad about you, you may have wondered
if you could sue that person for defamation. Libel and slander are
two forms of defamation.
Defamation is defined as a false statement communicated to another
person that damages your reputation. Libel is communicating a defamatory
statement by writing or picture, while slander is defamation by oral
or spoken communication.
If such words were written or spoken of you, you are not defamed if
the words were true. Truth is a complete defense to defamation. Even
if your reputation is damaged by a defamatory communication, you cannot
recover if the communication was true. Other defenses include statements
made in jest (where the communication was not intended to be taken
seriously), and when the communication was an opinion (not actionable)
and not a fact.
Another notable defense is the defense of privilege. A person may have
spoken or written the words about you in a privileged way, that is,
the law allows certain people to say certain things in certain places
without fear of being charged with defamation. For example, public
officials, such as city council members, performing their official
duties may be protected by the privilege, as are people making statements
in judicial or legislative proceedings. Certain other communications
may be privileged, but the rules are too complex and too many to be
stated in the short length of this message. An attorney can help you
with your particular case.
If you have been defamed by a newspaper, magazine, motion picture or
radio or television broadcast, you must demand a retraction in order
to collect all of your damages. The retraction must be requested within
20 days from the date you learn of the publication. If the newspaper,
television or radio station retracts the defamatory statement, you
may still sue, but you may collect only the amount of money you actually
lost.
If you believe you have a defamation case, you normally have one year
from the date of the communication (whether written or oral) to file
the lawsuit. If you do not do so, the statute of limitations will prevent
you from beginning the case later.
A defamation case is a particularly difficult kind of lawsuit to win.
Courts and juries like to preserve the freedom of speech as much as
possible. It is also hard for a jury to try to put a dollar value on
the loss to your reputation.
Legal editor: Willard H. Chi, January 2012