Slander is a spoken untruth that injures a person’s reputation. Writing or printing a similar statement is called libel. There is confusion whether to view spoken untruths on radio and television as libel or slander. But the trend is to treat such spoken untruths as libel.
In the United States, a person who believes he or she has been slandered can file a lawsuit in civil court. To win such a suit, the plaintiff (person filing the charges) must prove either that a false statement caused a loss of money or that such a statement had any of the four following effects: (1) suggested the plaintiff committed a crime; (2) tended to injure the plaintiff’s business or profession; (3) suggested the plaintiff had a medical disorder, such as leprosy or a sexually transmitted disease; or (4) accused a female plaintiff of a lack of chastity or accused either a male or a female plaintiff of serious sexual misconduct.
