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.
Indiana: "Spiteful Gossip" and "talking behind a person's back" are illegal.
To win an defamation lawsuit in Indiana, the plaintiff must prove that the defendant: Made an unprivileged false statement of fact about the plaintiff; Said statement caused the plaintiff material harm; and. Acted either negligently or with actual malice.
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.
A public figure must prove that a Defendant acted with 'actual malice' in publishing a false statement about the plaintiff. Actual malice means that the person either knew the statement was false or showed such reckless disregard for the truth that they should have known the statement was false.
A false communication which causes harm to a person's reputation, known as defamation, can subject the defamer to an expensive lawsuit and damages. In Indiana, defamation is defined as a false and malicious communication which causes damages by its publication.
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.
In Indiana, defamation is defined as a false and malicious communication which causes damages by its publication. Actual malice exists when the party making the defamatory statement either knew the statement was false or made the statement with reckless disregard for whether it was false.