This has been an exciting year here at the California Defamation Law Blog, so I thought it'd be a good idea to highlight our top 10 favorite posts, considering page views, comments, and other forms of reader feedback. I hope you revisit and enjoy these posts. Here's to an even better 2010! Here they are: Do You Have A Case For Defamation? The Three Types Of Damages In … [Read more...] about Best Of California Defamation Law Blog: 2009
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Defamation Defense: Consent
A less common but no less important defense to a cause of action for defamation is the defense of consent. If the defendant can show that the plaintiff consented to the publication of the alleged defamatory statement or statements, it operates as a complete defense. In other words, defendant wins. Under what circumstances has the doctrine of consent been successful? Well, I'm … [Read more...] about Defamation Defense: Consent
Defamation Defense: Qualified Privilege
The last several posts have focused on absolute privileges. Today we’re going to talk about the qualified privilege, which is a lot more common than you might think. A qualified privilege essentially means what it appears to mean. It allows the publisher/speaker to make a statement that would otherwise be defamatory without being held liable for making the … [Read more...] about Defamation Defense: Qualified Privilege
Celebrity Defamation: Part I
Celebrity defamation is a growing trend. Don't believe me? Click on any of the links below. Roger Clemens Courtney Love Perez Hilton Kirstie Alley Demi Moore Britney Spears There are a number of reasons for this. The Rise of Social Media No one can deny the awesome rise of social media and its ability to influence our culture. Millions of people use tools like Twitter, … [Read more...] about Celebrity Defamation: Part I
Perez Hilton Threatens To Sue Kirstie Alley For Twitter Defamation
WARNING: This post contains profanity. If you find profanity objectionable please do not continue reading. Someone must have hacked into Kirstie Alley's Twitter account. At least, I hope so for Alley's sake. Yesterday in response to a tweet from one of her followers, Alley wrote that "PH" (presumably Perez Hilton) was "like a closet pedophile drawing nasty … [Read more...] about Perez Hilton Threatens To Sue Kirstie Alley For Twitter Defamation