Questions tagged [libel]
Defamation by written means
79
questions
2
votes
1answer
55 views
What is required for a slander lawsuit?
Suppose there is a group of people being contacted by an outside agency at the business they are working at. The outside agency is lying about a particular employee's behavior and convincing this ...
4
votes
2answers
143 views
Is contextomy legal in the U.S.?
An example of contextomy: A reviewer describes a book as "a masterpiece of boring, poorly edited crap." The author then announces that the reviewer called his book "a masterpiece."
...
2
votes
0answers
89 views
Why did the movie Redacted have to be fictionalized?
According to the article Appointment in Sammara, a movie about a grotesque war crime committed in Iraq had to be fictionalized for legal reasons.
How would a true account be illegal? I thought ...
0
votes
2answers
86 views
Is criticizing a public figure on a private chat libel?
X is currently involved in a legal battle with said ex-wife regarding child abuse by parental alienation of his child. X, with a friend in a similar position, created a private support group on ...
2
votes
1answer
66 views
Is it legal to divulge information about a company (kindergarten) online in Austria?
The situation is the following: We have made a very bad experience with a kindergarten in Vienna and would like to divulge (make public) the experience we made with this kindergarten.
This would ...
1
vote
4answers
354 views
Rudy Giuliani sued, why ask for $1.3b?
Rudy Giuliani has been sued. The plaintiffs are asking for S1.3 billion in compensation.
He doesn't have anything like that much money. His net worth is estimated to be $45 million.
Why are they ...
0
votes
1answer
119 views
As a Sex offender Can a person for take my Photo off my Facebook page, post it, giving my full name and address be charged or sued? [closed]
I pleaded guilty to a charge of child molestation over 15 years ago, served time and probation. I now have three girls 7,5,2 who I father on my own. My neighbor's daughter play's with my girls, who's ...
3
votes
1answer
95 views
What to expect when getting sued from abroad for libel?
I, a citizen and resident of the EU, wrote a biography of a British citizen who resides in England, and I published it on a popular online encyclopedia hosted in the United States. The subject of the ...
-2
votes
2answers
160 views
Is Twitter liable for its content?
Twitter has allegedly censored a New York Post story alleging possible corruption by Hunter Biden and, by implication, Joe Biden in overseas business dealings.[1]
Sen. Ted Cruz on Thursday said ...
1
vote
1answer
135 views
How does one meet the "serious harm" threshold in libel cases (UK)?
I'm trying to sue someone in the UK for libel. (I'm in the US.) I've had some UK attorneys willing to take my case, but not on conditional fee. I recently contacted a pro bono organization there, and ...
2
votes
6answers
279 views
Is it libel if I reasonably believed it to be true?
Suppose I'm a major newspaper journalist. A rape occurs, and the police arrest the suspect. Bucking all journalistic trends, I run a story with the headline, "Rapist CAUGHT," not "...
0
votes
2answers
123 views
Is it legal to short a company's stock and then blog about why you did it?
In America, is it legal to short a company with which I never had any affiliation and then write a negative blog post about it affecting the company's stock price?
More specifically, suppose ...
0
votes
2answers
201 views
Is there a law that requires allegiance or respect to the Office of the President of the United States?
It has become common in America today to hear people refer to the President of the United States as "not-my-president". Is such a statement as saying that the head of our Executive Branch is "not-my-...
0
votes
1answer
172 views
I'm being defamed on Facebook. Do I have a legal case?
I live in Maryland.
Over the past few months there is a guy on Facebook who has been openly lying about me.
He has repeatedly said that I have made threats against him, I have not.
He has repeatedly ...
2
votes
2answers
116 views
Am I responsible for stopping potentially libellous posts being submitted to a Facebook group I am an admin of?
If a member of a Facebook group that I am an administrator for posts something, in this instance an accusation of criminal wrongdoing, that is then reported by another user as being a lie, or ...
1
vote
1answer
93 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 ...
15
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
votes
1answer
57 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
votes
1answer
86 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
86 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
votes
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
69 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
99 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
vote
2answers
105 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
vote
1answer
316 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
votes
1answer
138 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
votes
5answers
10k 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
votes
1answer
295 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 ...
-2
votes
2answers
116 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
65 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
votes
1answer
158 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
votes
1answer
59 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
114 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
votes
2answers
125 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
1k 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
6k 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
70 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
votes
3answers
76 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
49 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
votes
2answers
177 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
vote
3answers
418 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
134 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
27 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
192 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
vote
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
73 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
votes
2answers
389 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
vote
2answers
198 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
90 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 ...
