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 Of Character In Nigeria In Middlesex
Category:
State:
Multi-State
County:
Middlesex
Control #:
US-00423BG
Format:
Word;
Rich Text
Instant download
Description
Form popularity
FAQ
To prove defamation, the statement must be: False: Truth is an absolute defense. Published: The statement must be communicated to someone other than the person defamed. Harmful: The statement must damage the person's reputation.
To prove defamation, the statement must be: False: Truth is an absolute defense. Published: The statement must be communicated to someone other than the person defamed. Harmful: The statement must damage the person's reputation.
For a claimant to succeed in an action for defamation, the claimant must be able to prove: That the words were defamatory not to only to few members of the public but the general public. That the words referred to the claimant. That the words were published (to at least one person other than the plaintiff)
Penalties for Defamation Under Nigerian criminal law, defamation is a punishable offence: Section 375 of the Criminal Code Act provides that any person who publishes defamatory matter is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year imprisonment.
2 It is any statement that is calculated to expose to hatred, cause avoidance, shunning, contempt, ridicule, or conveying imputations that are injurious to a person's office, profession, trade or business. 3 Defamation is both a tort and a crime under Nigerian law and may be in verbal or written form4.
To prove prima facie defamation, a plaintiff must show four things: 1) a false statement purporting to be fact; 2) publication or communication of that statement to a third person; 3) fault amounting to at least negligence ; and 4) damages , or some harm caused to the reputation of the person or entity who is the ...
