My former foster family & my biological family used to physically abuse me, & I'm talking about writing an autobiography. & when I seek advice on how to go about doing that, people tell me that my families have the right to sue me for slander.
How is that & I'm telling the truth?
That's like if a woman was raped & wrote an autobiography on her life & included it in the book, & people would tell her that the rapist had every right to sue her for slander. That's not fair.
2007-07-28 13:05:50 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
I don't believe they can sue you if you use a pen name. Even if you don't, It is hard to sue for slander. They need to prove that you KNEW it was untrue and said it anyway. Go ahead and write what you want. If you find out that you cannot use their names, then just change the names and put at the beginning of your book that names have been changed to prevent lawsuits.
Joan Crawford was already dead when her daughter wrote the book about her. However, Nancy Regan was not when her daughter wrote a book and she couldn't sue (and you know she had the money to sue).
You deserve to have the truth told.
2007-07-28 17:48:30 · answer #1 · answered by Patti C 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
According to Webster's.com, the definition of slander is:
"a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report". My suggestion is that you change the names of these people to protect their privacy. Maybe you say this is true, but have you filed charges against them, and if so have they been found guilty of what you are accusing them of? That is where the slander bit comes in. If you are accusing these people of something that has never been proven in a court of law, then it is slander, even if you say you are telling the truth.
2007-07-28 20:16:57 · answer #2 · answered by ellen d 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They aren't getting it right. In order for it to be Slander, it MUST be a lie. It MUST cause some type of damage (that is a provable damage) to the person who is suing you. Whoever is telling you this really doesn't know what they're talking about. If you are really concerned about it, just make sure you have proof, such as written accounts from individuals who witnessed the abuse, medical records, court records, photos, etc.
2007-07-28 20:36:32 · answer #3 · answered by cyanne2ak 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
If what you write is untrue, then maybe they could sue you for slander.
2007-07-28 20:09:54 · answer #4 · answered by LIGER20498 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
MY SUGGESTION TO YOU IS TO WRITE THE BOOK.Rather than it being an auto-biography.Make it a biography
about a fictional character.
2007-07-28 20:18:23 · answer #5 · answered by yp_will_chicago_369 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it's an autobiography. none the less change their names.
2007-07-28 20:19:36 · answer #6 · answered by Steph 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋