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.
Slander And Libel Laws With Examples In Illinois
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In Hardiman v. Aslam, 2019 IL App (1st) 173196, the court stated: “to prove defamation, a plaintiff must show that the defendant made a false statement about the plaintiff, there was an unprivileged publication to a third party by the defendant, and the statement damaged the plaintiff.” ¶4.
Defamatory words — that is, words which defame — are words that can cause real damage. If someone said you were a secret unicorn hunter, that would be a silly, not defamatory, lie. If someone said you were a thief or a traitor, and you weren't, that would be defamatory.
Under Illinois law, to prove a claim for defamation, a person needs evidence to show that: The defendant made a false statement about the plaintiff, The false statement was made to a third party, The defendant was at least negligent in making the false statement, and.
Slander involves making false spoken statements that harm an individual's reputation. In legal terms, it's a type of defamation that requires proving the defendant's statements were false and negatively affected the subject's reputation.
Under Illinois law, the elements of a defamation claim are: (1) a false statement about the plaintiff (2) made to a third party (sometimes referred to by courts as publication) (3) that harms the plaintiff's reputation.
Slander per se is the spoken word version of libel per se—a false statement that is so obviously harmful that damage to a plaintiff's reputation is presumed. Examples of slander per se include false accusations of improper sexual conduct, criminal activity, or bad business dealings.
Slander is a form of defamation that involves making false statements verbally about another person. Some common examples of slander include: Making false accusations about someone during a conversation that harms their reputation. Spreading damaging rumors in public settings or work environments.
Defamation is a spoken or written statement by an individual or business that turns out to be false but is harmful to their reputation. There are two types of defamation: Slander – spoken words or comments. Libel or written defamation – words that are published in writing or broadcast.
The statute of limitations for defamation in Illinois is one (1) year. 735 ILCS 5/13-201. It states: Defamation – Privacy.
