“Defamation of character” is recognized by the public. People often ask me about defamation of character in San Diego. They inquire because they have suffered harm to their reputations due lies or false accusations. Defamation of character in legal terms falls into two general categories: libel or slander. Libel is an untruthful, harmful attack on another person or company via written means, such as Internet defamation, or publication in blogs, magazines or books. The law associates slander with the spoken word in public conversations, phone calls, or via radio or television broadcasts.
Defamation has several components. The primary elements are a false statement against a person or company, communicated with defamatory meaning to a third party (someone other than the victim), with resulting damage to the victim’s reputation, personal feelings, standing within the community, business, or financial well-being.