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.
Elements Of Defamation In Australia In King
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FAQ
Defamation defences include public interest, truth, honest opinion, absolute privilege, and innocent dissemination.
What are the fundamental principles of defamation laws in Australia? 1. Burden of Proof: In defamation cases, the burden of proof rests with the individual alleging defamation, referred to as the plaintiff. To succeed in a defamation claim, the plaintiff must provide compelling evidence in support of their case.
Any person can sue for defamation. As discussed earlier, the principle elements of the cause of action are: (1) the communication has been published to a third person; (2) the communication identifies (or is about) that person; and (3) the communication is defamatory.
The defamation reforms have introduced a threshold requirement that the allegedly defamatory matter has caused (or is likely to cause) serious harm to the plaintiff. A person who wishes to take legal action for defamation must be able to prove that they have suffered, or could suffer, 'serious harm'.
The onus of proof lies upon the defendant to establish matters relevant to the defences, such as qualified privilege, but once these elements have been established, the burden of establishing malice lies on the plaintiff, not upon the defendant: Dillon v Cush 2010 NSWCA 165 at 63–67.
Elements, defences, and remedies (2) The communication must identify, or be about the plaintiff. (3) The communication must be defamatory. (4) The plaintiff must prove that the publication has caused (or likely to cause) serious harm.
Absolute privilege This means no action for defamation can be brought, even if the person who makes the defamatory statement knows it was false and made the statement with the intention to damage the affected person's reputation.
Absolute privilege is an immunity from an action that protects a person or class of persons from a law suit, even if the action had a malicious motive or was false. The most common types of action that may be subject to the immunity is defamation.
Truth is widely accepted as a complete defense to all defamation claims.
