the.com/defamation
Saying something false about someone that costs them money, friends, or sleep.
means The act of making a false statement about someone that damages their reputation, spoken aloud (slander) or written down (libel).
from Traces back to Latin 'diffamare' — 'dis-' (spreading abroad) plus 'fama' (reputation, talk, fame). Same 'fama' that gives us 'fame' and 'famous' — so defamation is literally fame's evil twin, your name spread around for the wrong reasons. It passed through Old French 'defamer' before landing in English by the 14th century, already carrying its legal teeth.
- legal split
- libel is written, slander is spoken
- key defense
- truth is an absolute shield
- opinion exception
- calling someone an idiot usually isn't defamation
- public figures
- must prove actual malice, not just falsity