Questions tagged [libel]
Defamation by written means
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1answer
57 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
106 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
35 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
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3answers
93 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
82 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
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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
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1answer
278 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
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2answers
963 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 ...
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1answer
66 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 ...
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3answers
67 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 ...
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1answer
41 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 ...
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2answers
80 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 (...
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3answers
370 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
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2answers
126 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
25 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, ...
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1answer
148 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
1k 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
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1answer
55 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
263 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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1answer
120 views
Would it be libel to write that President Trump is a rapist?
By almost any dictionary definition, US President Donald Trump is an accused rapist. However, no litigation has taken place with a conviction of sexual assault or rape.
If one was to write in a ...
1
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1answer
45 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
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1answer
953 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 ...
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2answers
298 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 ...
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5answers
6k 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 ...
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2answers
431 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 ...
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1answer
648 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 ...
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2answers
2k 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 ...
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2answers
199 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
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2answers
140 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
197 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
670 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?
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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 ...
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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
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1answer
75 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
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1answer
764 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 ...
2
votes
1answer
66 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 ...
3
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2answers
192 views
Do laws against libel and slander [malice] also apply to incomplete information?
I understand that if somebody posts false information about an individual and if it can be proved that individual had intent to cause malice against the other individual, then that can be brought to ...
0
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1answer
180 views
Is Peeple Legal?
This question has to do with the legality of "Peeple", which was described as "Yelp for People". The basic idea is that someone makes a profile for a person, listing their name, age, city, or ...
1
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1answer
90 views
UK-centric: how to stop a former colleague spreading informally unwelcome references?
I have a friend who took a former employer to tribunal, employer preferred to pay him early settlement compensation, signed mutual NDA not allowing any party (including employees) to disclose the ...
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2answers
121 views
Colloquialisms as defamatory statements
Considering a claim, in which the particulars state that words or phrases, often used in a colloquial manner, have caused or may cause financial and/or reputational damage to persons or businesses.
...
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3answers
170 views
What are my defenses against libel in this situation?
I had a dream that an acquaintance of mine was engaged in the African slave trade in the United States (that is right now, in the early 21st century). Suppose I turned the dream into a piece of ...
3
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2answers
1k views
How does the statute of limitations on defamation work?
My understanding is that defamation has a very short window for a lawsuit, like one year.
So suppose a libelous statement was published in a widely circulated journal, call it the New York Times, and ...
8
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1answer
160 views
Is contributory “publication” a defense against libel?
Suppose there was a work of fiction where one of the characters was based on a real one. And suppose the real person sued the author and, through the process of discovery, found private emails, author'...
3
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1answer
180 views
Is there a good defense against libel if a fictitious character is clearly a “composite?”
The name I had in mind was "Hillary Rice Whitman," the first female President of the United States. Maybe I'd make it Hillary Elizabeth Rice Whitman.
Is the creation of the "composite" a strong ...
6
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1answer
440 views
How does changing a name FAIL to protect against a libel suit?
In the answer to this question, someone convinced me that changing Paul dePodesta's name to "Peter Brand" in "Moneyball, was enough to signal a "disconnect" between Mr. dePodesta and "Billy Beane's ...
1
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1answer
732 views
What is “fair comment” in the context of a defamation suit?
Suppose there is a nationally known politician, and it is widely reported in the papers that some of his supporters fear leaving their college-aged daughters alone with him.
And suppose someone ...
6
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1answer
81 views
Are forum users who establish their identity more entitled to protection from libel?
In an online forum or social network does a user who ties the identity of their presence there to their real world identity have more recourse open to them with regard to being libeled than a user who ...
10
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1answer
2k views
The difference between libel and slander
I've heard people use the terms libel and slander interchangeably, but I know that they are different in the eyes of the law. What are the defining characteristics of each?
6
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1answer
386 views
How is “defamation” defined?
I have a recollection that late in the 20th century in the United States, A called B a "bastard." B sued A for defamation.
The court ruled in favor of the defendant. Its first observation was that (...
5
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1answer
181 views
How does changing a name protect against a libel suit when “everyone” knows who he is?
In the movie, "Moneyball," the name of Billy Beane's assistant was fictionalized to "Peter Brand." Yet anyone who has read Michael Lewis' book knows that his real name was Paul dePodesta.
Mr. ...
