R. Todd Waddell Law

Defamation occurs when a person, or business entity, makes a false statement about you that injures your reputation.  

Defamation can be categorized by slander, the spoken word, and libel, the printed word. 

Defamation is taken from Old English common law, and for the majority of its life, was aimed at false statements made by book publishers, or newspaper publishers.  With the advent of technology, radio, and then television broadcasters began to be included in defamation lawsuits. 

Generally, only large corporations, such as newspaper or book publishers, or radio or television broadcasters, were subject to defamation suits. This was due to the fact that those entities were the only ones that could reach the mass population, and defame a person.

With the advent of social media, such as Facebook (launched February 2004), and Twitter (March 2006), an individual came to have the same power to reach the masses as any publisher of any medium prior to their advent.  One person could publish a statement on these social media platforms, and reach as many people as had access to  the internet, which is estimated to be 5.44 Billion people. 

In our practice, we have seen parties make defamatory statements about our clients that have impacted:

• personal relationships, 
• business relationships, 
• employment, 
• business and professional association memberships,
• business revenue, 
• security clearances, 
• school admissions, 
• public investigations

to name a few.  

Their can be two (2) goals in bringing a defamation lawsuit:

1. Clearing your name, and retraction of the false and defamatory statements
2. Compensatory and punitive damages for the injury you have suffered. 

False Light is when a party has been portrayed by the publication of a photograph, as an example, that places you in a false light. 

Malicious prosecution, is when a party has falsely accuses you of crime, you are prosecuted for that crime, and you are subsequently acquitted of that crime. 

in general, the defamation lawsuits we bring attempt to right the wrongs that have been caused by the injury to your reputation due to false and defamatory statements, placing you in a false light, or having your prosecuted for a crime due to false information. 

If you have been subject to defamatory statements, or placed in a false light, or unjustly prosecuted based on false statements, call us today to help clear your name, and get back your reputation, and get compensation for the injury to which you have wrongfully been subjected.