Defamation is the act of communicating a false statement about an individual or entity to a third party, resulting in harm to that person's reputation. For a statement to be considered defamatory, it must be demonstrably false and cause reputational damage. This concept is central in legal discussions regarding the protection of personal and professional reputation, and its criteria are consistently referenced in both civil and common law traditions. The legal definition typically distinguishes between written defamation (libel) and spoken defamation (slander), but the core elements of falsity and harm remain constant across jurisdictions. Defamation claims are subject to strict evidentiary standards, and defenses such as truth, opinion, or privilege may apply depending on the context.

Contexts

• #legal-lexicon
• #vocabulary