A form of publication which tends to cause one to lose the esteem of the community is defamation. This is injury to reputation. A person can be held liable for the defamation of another. In order to prove defamation, the plaintiff must prove:
- that a statement was made about the plaintiff's reputation, honesty or integrity that is not true;
- publication to a third party (i.e., another person hears or reads the statement); and
- the plaintiff suffers damages as a result of the statement.
Slander is a form of defamation that consists of making false oral statements about a person which would damage that person's reputation. If one spreads a rumor that his neighbor has been in jail and this is not true, the person making such false statements could be held liable for slander.
Defamation which occurs by written statements is known as libel. Libel also may result from a picture or visual representation. Truth is an absolute defense to slander or libel.
Some statements, while libelous or slanderous, are absolutely privileged in the sense that the statements can be made without fear of a lawsuit for slander. The best example is statements made in a court of law. An untrue statement made about a person in court which damages that person's reputation will generally not cause liability to the speaker as far as slander is concerned. However, if the statement is untrue, the person making it may be liable for criminal perjury.
If a communication is made in good faith on a subject in which the party communicating it has a legitimate right or interest in communicating it, this communication may be exempt from slander liability due to a qualified privileged.
The following form letter demands that someone cease making libelous or slanderous statements, or appropriate legal action will be taken.
Defamation Case Filing Format In Chicago
Category:
State:
Multi-State
City:
Chicago
Control #:
US-00423BG
Format:
Word;
Rich Text
Instant download
Description
Form popularity
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Illinois Legal Aid Online provides a guided interview called an Easy Form that will help you fill out the forms. All forms below with a "fillable icon" are documents that you can open "on-line", fill in the appropriate fields and then print on your printer.A Fillable PDF form is an electronic document that allows you to type in your information in the shaded boxes. List of Forms Often Used in Federal Civil Cases. The forms below are some of the most common forms used in the Domestic Relations Division, but there are many more. Free Case Review - Call 312.357. The Clinton Law Firm helps companies with business issues including Commercial Litigation and Business cases. Our DuPage County defamation attorneys have decades of experience in the area of defamation defense and First Amendment law.
