2006-11-05 05:26:29 · 2 answers · asked by aquarian 4 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
Defamation requires the publication of untrue (false) statements of fact about a person which harms that person's reputation. Defamation includes both libel (written) and slandar (spoken).
A person can be sued if they publish (make public) false statements, which causes the target person harm. If the target person is a public official or celebrity, there also needs to be proof that the person making the statement knew it was (or likely was) false when it was made. In private defamation actions, that additional knowledge element is not required.
Other than that, details of elements and how the complaint would be structured vary by state. Check your local listings.
2006-11-05 05:29:49 · answer #1 · answered by coragryph 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Cora, basically summed it up, however I'll add that it is a tricky business to convict someone for defamation. For example, all you have to do is prove that you tried to verify whether the information was true or not before you publish it. Magazines usually use to this to defame celebrities, they come up with a fake story, try to call the celebrity (who never answer), document that they attempted to verify the story, then print it.
2006-11-05 13:36:36 · answer #2 · answered by Tyson 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋