What is the Difference Between Slander and Libel?
Slander is defamation of a person’s character with speech, including by broadcast; libel is in print. Printed words, photographs, headlines, photo captions and cartoons can all be considered libelous. Each U.S. state has its own libel laws. Common libel suits involve implicating a person in a crime; alleging he has a loathsome or contagious disease; is unqualified for or embezzling from his job; or by casting aspersions on an individual’s sexual potency, inclinations or activities. Interestingly, according to some state’s laws, you cannot libel a dead person. An example: If an illegal-drug manufacturer is killed when his methamphetamine lab blows up, he can be referred to as a drug dealer, not as a suspected drug dealer. In recent years, the daughter of actress Joan Crawford tried to sue a tabloid newspaper for publishing spurious comments about her mother. But because Crawford was dead, the lawsuit was unsuccessful.
