The California Court of Appeal reversed a jury decision awarding plaintiff a whopping $750,000 in damages based on slander per se. Regalia, the plaintiff, was a former employee of an automobile museum. He claimed that he was wrongfully terminated and that the defendants were liable for slander per se based on two allegedly defamatory statements made by Mr. Nethercutt. The … [Read more...] about Nethercutt Collection et al. v. Regalia – Slander Per Se v. Slander Per Quod
Archives for 2009
What is Slander Per Quod?
The California Civil Code lists four subcategories of slander which are termed slander per se. This means that the alleged statement is defamatory on its face. This is important because statements which are slanderous per se do not require proof of actual damages. What does this have to do with slander per quod? Well, in contrast to statements that are slanderous per se, … [Read more...] about What is Slander Per Quod?
Dealing With Negative Customer Reviews
Sam encounters my animated self on the street and tells me all about his Internet troubles. Apparently, some former disgruntled customers have posted some negative customer reviews about his business on a couple of websites. I give him some general advice about what to do. … [Read more...] about Dealing With Negative Customer Reviews
Gratuitous Merriment
I hope you don't mind a break in the action. Here is a video that reminds us that it's OK to smile no matter what kind of problems or struggles life throws our way. It has nothing to do with defamation law. Thanks to Grant Griffiths over at BlogforProfit for posting about this video on his blog. I hope you enjoy the video! … [Read more...] about Gratuitous Merriment
Defamation Law Chaos
Say what you will about "Web 2.0" and the so-called "evolution" of the Internet. The fact is, the Internet is still the Wild Wild West, especially with respect to policing/regulating the web. Witness the herculean struggle in the United States to define the limits of free speech on the net and you get the picture. For instance, in some states you can go to … [Read more...] about Defamation Law Chaos