Questions tagged [libel]
Defamation by written means
64
questions
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1answer
57 views
Why didn't Nicholas Sandman name any individuals in his lawsuit against the Washington Post?
Why didn't Nicholas Sandman (Sandmann v. WP Company LLC, Dist. Court, ED Kentucky 2019) name the individuals working at the Washington Post who published the alleged libelous statements, as parties to ...
14
votes
3answers
5k views
Sue newspaper or the reporter for libel?
Are there any reasons to only sue a newspaper (the corporation) for libel and not the individual reporter who libeled you?
0
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1answer
48 views
What constitutes written malice?
Imagine a person writes a book about a prominent politician (e.g. Donald Trump or Obama) or corporate celebrity (e.g. Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos). The book is essentially a political exposé, focusing on ...
0
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1answer
60 views
Are there guidelines for identifying people as public figures?
By "public figure," I mean people who can be legally photographed and written/talked about in the media (including self-published books).
All elected officials are considered public figures, and I ...
1
vote
3answers
67 views
Is a statement libel if it is in response to a false statement
If someone were to make a statement that was known to be false, and someone else makes a defamatory remark in response to that comment, is it considered libel?
Say you review a restaurant negatively ...
0
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1answer
28 views
Libel complaint against publishing company d/b/a/ as newspaper [duplicate]
A newspaper defamed a Plaintiff. The newspaper is the business name of a publishing company (ie. the publishing company d/b/a/ the newspaper). Can the Plaintiff write the following in his or her ...
2
votes
2answers
59 views
Scope of the false statement in a libel action
Given the statement, "John failed to respond to a criminal court summons, and he moved out of the state."
Assuming that it is false that John failed to respond to a criminal court summons, but it is ...
1
vote
1answer
87 views
How many counts of libel for the false statement: “John is at-large from assault charges”?
Assuming that John has neither been charged with assault nor is evading such charges: Can John sue for two separate counts of libel (one for claiming that he is charged with a crime and one for ...
1
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2answers
76 views
Can a single false statement give rise to two separate causes of action i.e. counts in a lawsuit?
Is it possible under US libel for a single false statement to give rise to two separate causes of action (i.e. counts) in a lawsuit?
If the answer is yes, what would be some examples of this?
1
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1answer
131 views
Using interrogatory or depo to ask libel defendant what facts she relied on in making statement
In a libel case, should I ask the publisher of the statement what facts she relied on in deposition or via interrogatory? I'm concerned that since an interrogatory can be supplemented, that her ...
0
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1answer
56 views
Could libel have legal action taken if the would be defendent was using a VPN that goes to another country?
Normally, if someone writes libelous material about somebody online, they are traced by name and/or IP address. But, let’s say there are neither. So, someone wants to accuse someone of using meth on ...
6
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5answers
1k views
Is it legal to call someone a pedophile without a conviction?
I just discovered that a number of people are calling Alan Dershowitz - the attorney famously linked to Jeffrey Epstein - a pedophile online. Consider this statement made on Twitter:
Alan ...
2
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1answer
54 views
Is a CEO of a company a de facto public figure?
In other words, does a CEO share the same protections as a private citizen against slander/libel if the CEO only appears to the public (in interviews, shows, etc.) as a representative of the company ...
0
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2answers
64 views
Can libel/defamation be identified in private publications?
In the UK, I contacted a company called Tech Nation to provide an "endorsement" for me where they were supposed to assess my skill level, contributions to the sector and achievements so that I could ...
1
vote
1answer
63 views
In Canada, can you be sued if you specifically name a salesperson in a poor review?
Say that I did business with Acme Corporation and my salesperson was John Smith. I want to write a review of my service that specifically says "John Smith was not a good sales person" in my online ...
0
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1answer
129 views
When can you avoid libel by preceding a false statement with “Sources say” or “I heard”?
Suppose the New York Times writes "Sources say the celebrity John Doe raped his daughter"
and they truly found two anonymous people (i.e., two sources) beforehand with that claim.
How responsible is ...
0
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1answer
41 views
Impersonation - promoting contents to make it look like it's coming from someone else
We have 2 people, person A and person B.
Let's say person A decides to fabricate contents and made it look like it came from person B and promoted it to anyone and everyone.
Person A made it look to ...
2
votes
3answers
108 views
Is it libel of one merely shares libelous material written by others?
Can one be punished / successfully sued for sharing libelous material written by someone else? For example, I read on a news website that John Doe committed a horrible crime. If I share this article, ...
0
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2answers
95 views
Is there anything illegal (U.S.) about sending clients something factual about former employer?
I have posted a bunch of other questions on here regarding my situation with an ex-employer/friend who owes me pay ($100K+) for my work on deals that have closed, meaning he has the money in-hand. He ...
10
votes
5answers
6k views
False written accusations not made public - is there law to cover this?
If a person makes a false accusation against me in written, but not a published form, such as email, is there a legal process I can enact which would force the accusing party to either retract the ...
5
votes
1answer
577 views
Can I sue someone for publicly calling me a sex offender if I'm not one?
I was removed from the sex offender list by the state in May because I don't have a sex related crime, but I can still find myself posted on websites and posts labeling me as a registered sex offender....
2
votes
2answers
2k views
Can a private chat conversation about someone be considered defamation?
I recently commented on a Facebook post of a friend and suddenly got messaged by someone who was involved in the post.
This person is in fact part of my social circle, however we are not close, we ...
1
vote
1answer
67 views
Do I face liability for publishing a ranked list of companies?
I want to create a website in which I will list various of companies in a niche area. I will write pros/cons and publish a ranking list based on my opinion. So my questions are:
Can I create such a ...
0
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3answers
70 views
Is publication of an unpaid debt considered to be libelous?
In the United States, if a debtor is in default, is it considered libel if the creditor publishes the fact that the debtor is delinquent?
My understanding is that normally truth is a perfect defense ...
0
votes
1answer
43 views
Personal vs Corporate Liability: A Simple Example
Imagine a person, Mr. X, who says something really bad about another person. Let's say he falsely accuses him of robbing a bank and abandoning his children.
In fact, he says it twice. He says it once ...
0
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2answers
85 views
Is it legal to mention famous singer and song title in autobiography?
I've been writing an autobiography about sexual abuse that happened to me throughout my childhood. The abuser was the dad of a famous singer. Once I was old enough (18) to leave home and file charges (...
1
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3answers
394 views
Where is the distinction between libel and publicly voiced opinion?
I've always been interested in issues related to free speech, but they've also always seemed a bit tricky to make any determinations over as they encompass both opinions and strict legal codes.
As I ...
1
vote
2answers
132 views
Is it legal to post my experience about my landlord?
I had a horrible experience, wanted to move out and the landlord reactivated the ad.
Is it legal to post a comment to highlight my negative experiences? To me it seems like giving 1 star to a product ...
1
vote
1answer
26 views
Sentiment Analysis on Persons, Companies, Things
Are there any laws against applying sentiment analysis on people, places, or things using open source data? How about data only found on my network (proprietary user opinion of other people, places, ...
1
vote
1answer
157 views
Are parents responsible for libel committed by their children?
If a minor commits libel, are their parents or guardian liable for the tort?
1
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3answers
2k views
In Germany, can an Individual press charges against a Newspaper for Libel?
So I've read the following:
"You cannot publish untrue information about anyone or anything that could negatively affect that person or thing's reputation on your public blog. It doesn't matter if you ...
0
votes
1answer
65 views
Would it be libel if published information was “leaked” by third parties?
Suppose your company is doing a competitive analysis on a competitor, and compiles a set of unflattering data. This is for "internal" (company) use, not for publication. But a hacker breaks into your ...
3
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2answers
341 views
Is “republication” a defense against libel?
The New York Times published a story alleging that person A did X. You publish a piece that said, "The New York Times reported that A did X."
Later, Person A sues the New York Times and wins. Can ...
1
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2answers
180 views
Libel and the presidency
President Trump has been accused by women of rape, however he has never been convicted in court.
If one were to write in a reputable publication that Trump "is a rapist," would such a publication be ...
1
vote
1answer
46 views
Is it legal to publish an edited version of an article without a disclaimer?
Say I were to write an opinionated letter to the editor. Then, the newspaper edited my article for content (deleted something they didn't like, changed wording, or otherwise changed the meaning of my ...
1
vote
1answer
1k views
Can former President Obama sue President Trump for defamation? [duplicate]
President Trump has made assertions that former President Obama "wire tapped" him and Trump has claimed that he has evidence of this. It begins to appear that Trump has been lying about this and that ...
-4
votes
2answers
314 views
Can I be sued for libel for warning others about claims maybe by individuals who do not want to come forward to collaborate them?
This question is asked out of curiosity. While I ask this using a situation form my own life I'm not asking for legal advice and my actions are not going to be affected by the answers, I'm not ...
15
votes
5answers
8k views
Do Twitter disclaimers saying “opinions are my own” give any legal protection to the account owner?
A larger number of twitter accounts have a biography stating that tweets are their own opinion not that of their company. An example:
Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer
Does this ...
1
vote
2answers
478 views
Is it illegal for public figures to knowingly state a falsehood?
Here is an excerpt from this article in the New York Times:
The Supreme Court established the First Amendment principles that govern the country’s libel laws in 1964, with its unanimous decision in ...
2
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1answer
1k views
What is the difference between Libel and Libel Per Se?
Defamation is defined on various legal online resources (as well as here, and Libel is written and published defamation.
Libel is defamation and defined as a false and unprivileged statement of fact ...
0
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2answers
3k views
Posting Sex Offender Information Online
Sex Offender Information is public to an extent. If I become aware of a sexual offender in an area and simply post a link to the registry with the intent to merely inform others and not harass nor ...
1
vote
2answers
228 views
Can you sued for libel for telling the truth in negative advertisement?
In the event of a lawsuit against a previous employer for non payment. And the evidence against them includes notarized statements from previous employees with statements towards the owner refusal to ...
5
votes
2answers
153 views
How can pro bono lawyers of a libel defendant become defendants themeselves?
According to this wikipedia article, Lord Aldington managed to join pro bono legal defenders for Nikolai Tolstoy as defendants in his libel lawsuit.
"In 1996 the Court of Appeal upheld an order ...
2
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2answers
205 views
USA: Is the opposite of libel illegal?
The dictionary defines libel as:
a published false statement that is damaging to a person's reputation
In the USA, is the opposite illegal? That is:
a published false statement that is ...
3
votes
6answers
862 views
How can libel laws be consistent with the 1st Amendment?
The 1st Amendment states
Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press
So how can libel law be constitutional?
1
vote
1answer
70 views
Depicting real places, public organisation names, and generic industries in an inaccurate manner in fiction
Could it be a case for libel if a fictional story has reference to the following…
Places and countries (and some details, like description of locations, which may not be accurate)
Reference to law ...
0
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1answer
132 views
Case of a libel judgment when an author is basing the premise of the story (fictionally) on the actual negative activities of the company?
I'm a fiction writer. (You all love these questions.) My publications ALWAYS begin with the general disclaimer "This is a work of fiction ..."
However, I've been doing more realistic dramas, and I'll ...
3
votes
1answer
132 views
Libel of website
Is it possible to libel a website such as Craigslist or Facebook in a work of fiction? For example, if one were to write about a fictional character who had an interaction with another character, and ...
6
votes
1answer
766 views
Risks of criticizing people online
Okay, so, basically, I want to make a blog about ripping on people. And it's not like just ripping because ripping but I really want to point out flaws in works/people/attitudes/technology/decisions ...
3
votes
1answer
70 views
Avoiding law suits with product comparisons
Upstate NY here, although this is more an internet-level question w.r.t. law.
Also, an initial disclaimer: Although my particular use case does not involve Pepsi in any way/shape/form, I'm going to ...
