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.
Making False Statements In Phoenix
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Multi-State
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Phoenix
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US-00423BG
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ARS § 13-2907.01 makes it a crime for a person to lie to a police officer or to file a false police report. The consequences for False Reporting to a Law Enforcement Agency can be severe.Call AZ Defenders now: . The State of Arizona takes false reporting seriously. "False Reporting" occurs when a person initiates a false report regarding a bombing, fire, offense or other emergency knowing that such a report is false. You may fill out this and submit to let our employee know that what he or she did is appreciated. Or, you may call the Police Chief's Office at . If you are suspected of False Reporting of a crime or emergency, call us. The majority of people they contact eventually make statements and grant permission to conduct a search, which can be turned into a false confessions.
