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.
Example Of A Cease And Desist Letter For Slander In San Jose
Category:
State:
Multi-State
City:
San Jose
Control #:
US-00423BG
Format:
Word;
Rich Text
Instant download
Description
Form popularity
FAQ
The company was ordered by the court to cease and desist from selling the photographs.
Grounds for a cease and desist letter often involve situations like intellectual property infringement, where your patented, trademarked, or copyrighted work is being used without authorization. In these cases, a cease and desist letter serves as a formal demand to stop this unauthorized use.
The cease and desist letter should include a clear and concise description of the harassing or offending behavior. The letter should also include the amount of time you are giving the recipient to remedy the issue and possible consequences. Remedying the issue typically means stopping the unlawful action.
Your letter should ideally state the specific defamatory statement, the reasons why it is untrue, and the damage you're suffering. Also, give the recipient a deadline by which they must retract their statements before you will need to take legal action.
When you send someone a cease and desist letter, you are asking them to stop engaging in a particular activity that is harmful to you in some way. In addition to identifying the specific activity, the letter should also outline the potential consequences of not complying with your request.
There are four unlawful activities that are most often addressed with cease and desist orders or letters: misuse of intellectual property, harassment, character defamation and libel, and contract violations, including unfair labor practices or unfair compensation.
If you are writing the letter yourself, you should include the following information: Your name and contact information. Name and contact information of the person or business being asked to stop the behavior. Specifics about the activity you wish them to stop.
Slander and libel If you're the subject of slanderous or libelous statements, a cease and desist letter can make the recipient retract what they've been saying or publishing. Your letter should ideally state the specific defamatory statement, the reasons why it is untrue, and the damage you're suffering.
