Defamation: Libel and Slander
Defamation is damage to a person's reputation. It can be a cause of great emotional distress in the nature of shame and abandonment by colleagues and friends. Defamation can also cause economic damages, particularly when it is related to a person's business. There are two forms of defamation. Libel is defamation in writing, but it can also include a broadcast such as a radio broadcast that is oral. Slander is spoken defamation.
Libel is particularly damaging to the reputation of the individual because it can be read by a great number of people. This is particularly true of the most prominent form of libel that we face today, that is libel over the internet.
The professional handling of a case of defamation is crucial, because there are many defenses to defamation. First and foremost, defamation means a false statement. Truth is a defense. California has statutes for mass media that require demands for retraction. Jury instructions vary as to what must be proved depending upon whether the victim is a public figure or a private figure.
At the Broderick Law Firm we are equipped to deal with the intricacies of claims of defamation in the form of libel and slander.