Defamation, or defamation of character, describes hurting someone's reputation or character by making fraudulent statements regarding that person. There are two types of defamation: slander and libel.
Slander is a legal term used to describe defamation, or harming the reputation of a person or a business by telling one or more others something both untrue and damaging about them. Slander can be the basis for a lawsuit but must be proven by the subject in civil court.
Defamation of character, or defamation, is a false statement that damages the reputation of the person it targets. While serious, most states treat defamatory statements as civil wrongs—also known as torts—rather than criminal offenses.
Although criminal defamation under section 194 of the Penal Code was declared unconstitutional by the High Court in 2017, the publication of false information which is likely to harm the reputation of a person is a criminal offence under section 23 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act (the CMCA).
Defamation of character is an act that occurs when someone's reputation and integrity are tarnished or damaged because of malicious intent by another party. You may have heard the terms libel and slander. Slander is orally dishonoring someone else, while libel is written defamation.
Ohio defines defamation of character as “a false statement that causes harm to a person's reputation, exposes him to public hatred, contempt, ridicule, shame, or disgrace, or affects him adversely in his trade or business.”
Slander is the act of saying an untrue, negative statement about someone. In law, the word slander is contrasted with libel, which is the act of making a false written statement about someone. The noun slander is from Old French esclandre, escandle, or "scandal," from Late Latin scandalum "stumbling block, offense."
Definitions of defamation. an abusive attack on a person's character or good name. synonyms: aspersion, calumny, denigration, slander. attack.
In many cases, the harassment remains verbal. However, as long as the victim faces disruption to their ability to work safely, any action could fall under the category of harassment. Needless to say, rumors and slander attack the reputation of an individual and can make it difficult or even impossible to work safely.