Small claims suits cannot exceed $3500, excluding interest and court costs. Small Claims is an informal method of resolving civil disputes; formal rules of procedure do not apply.
Typically, these are individuals with widespread fame, such as celebrities and professional athletes. Like public officials, plaintiffs classified as all-purpose public figures must show that the defendant acted with actual malice in publishing the defamatory statement.
Public Official (The President of the United States is an elected official and therefore is a public official for purposes of defamation law.) Public Figure (The President's wife is a person who has pervasive power and influence in society and is therefore a public figure for purposes of defamation law.)
Public figures refer to those individuals who are people in the public eye and have achieved fame or notoriety. For example, sports stars, movie stars, entertainers, and national broadcasters would qualify as public figures.
A public figure, ing to Gertz v. Robert Welch , is an individual who has assumed roles of especial prominence in the affairs of a society or thrust themselves into the forefront of particular public controversies to influence the resolution of the issues involved.
The statement must be untrue and presented as a factual claim rather than an opinion to be defamation. Additionally, there must be evidence that the statement caused or has the potential to cause significant damage to the reputation of the individual or entity targeted.