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.
Libel And Slander In Nigeria In Nevada
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In Nevada, you must prove four elements to establish a defamation claim: A false and defamatory statement; Unprivileged publication to a third person; Fault, amounting to at least negligence; and. Actual or presumed damages.
To succeed in a defamation claim, the plaintiff has to prove four elements: The defendant made a false and defamatory statement about the plaintiff; The statement was communicated to a third party, other than the plaintiff; The statement was made with fault, either intentionally or negligently; The statement caused ...
To succeed in a defamation claim, the plaintiff has to prove four elements: The defendant made a false and defamatory statement about the plaintiff; The statement was communicated to a third party, other than the plaintiff; The statement was made with fault, either intentionally or negligently; The statement caused ...
There are two types of defamation in Nevada: slander and libel. Both types involve untrue statements. The difference is that slander refers to statements that are spoken while libel refers to statements that are written. Both types of statements are equally defamation with the same penalties.
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)
By the provisions of Section 375 of the Criminal Code Act, any person who publishes any defamatory matter is guilty of a misdemeanor and is liable to imprisonment for one year; and any person who publishes any defamatory matter knowing it to be false, is liable to imprisonment for two years.
By the provisions of Section 375 of the Criminal Code Act, any person who publishes any defamatory matter is guilty of a misdemeanor and is liable to imprisonment for one year; and any person who publishes any defamatory matter knowing it to be false, is liable to imprisonment for two years.
The amount one can sue for defamation varies widely based on several factors including the severity and extent of damage caused by the defamatory statement. However, damages typically range from thousands to millions of dollars depending on circumstances such as loss earnings and emotional distress.
Defamation with Knowledge of Falsity: If someone knowingly makes false statements about another person, they could be sentenced to up to two years in prison. Defamation with an intent to extort (Section 376): This is treated as a felony, punishable by up to seven years behind bars.
It is limpid from the above exposition that for a plaintiff's defamation claim to succeed in a Nigerian court, such a plaintiff must show that the statement complained of is defamatory, directed at him, and published to a third party.
