Address It Directly: If appropriate, consider confronting the person spreading the slander. Approach them calmly and express how their words have affected you. Sometimes, a direct conversation can resolve misunderstandings. Seek Support: Talk to trusted friends, family, or colleagues about the situation.
Libel and slander are methods of defamation. Libel is defamation in written form. Slander is defamation that is spoken out loud.
In cases involving defamation per se, certain statements are considered so inherently harmful that the plaintiff does not need to prove actual harm. These include false accusations of criminal activity, incompetence in one's profession, or having a loathsome disease.
If you believe you have been defamed in Pennsylvania, you must act quickly. The state imposes a one-year statute of limitations on defamation claims. This means you have one year from the date the defamatory statement was made to file a lawsuit. After this period, you may be barred from pursuing legal action.
--In an action for defamation, the plaintiff has the burden of proving, when the issue is properly raised: (1) The defamatory character of the communication. (2) Its publication by the defendant. (3) Its application to the plaintiff.