Words can hurt. They can cause tangible economic loss. If the false statements, gossip or groundless accusations by another person ends up affecting your employment status or seriously damages your reputation, you may have grounds for a defamation lawsuit.

Scottsdale Libel and Slander Attorney
The Law Offices of William D. Black in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona has successfully sued on behalf of Scottsdale area clients for libelous, slanderous and defamatory statements. Not every false or nasty statement or rumor constitutes actionable defamation, but those that do can be very serious. Contact us today for a free case evaluation to discuss your potential claim.

Proving Defamation

• Libel is written defamation. It could be an e-mail, a letter, an official report, a published article.
• Slander is spoken defamation. It could be public statements, workplace gossip, or accusations of misconduct.
• Re-publication – repeating a libelous or slanderous statement made by someone else – is not a defense. It is still considered defamatory.

In order to sue for monetary damages, the defamation must cause a real and irreparable harm or public humiliation:

• A person accused a gentleman, a security guard, of making bomb threats, and police arrested him. Although he was not charged with a crime, he was terminated and not able to get work in the security industry after the incident. In this case, he has a cause of action.
• Another gentleman was accused of hacking into a former employer’s computer. Although he did not lose his job, he was told that he would not get the security clearance to move up in the company. His employment opportunities were unnecessarily limited, and he suffered financially. He too has an actionable claim.