DISPARAGEMENT

[Cases:  Libel  and  Slander    6–14.  C.J.S.  Libel  and  Slander,  Injurious

Falsehood §§ 2, 5–6, 10–12, 17–42, 47, 104.] — defame,vb.

“Defamation is the publication of a statement which tends to lower a person in the estimation

of right-thinking  members of society  generally; or which tends to  make them shun  or avoid that

person.” P.H. Winfield, A Textbook of the Law of Tort § 72, at 242 (5th ed. 1950).

“The  wrong  of  defamation  consists  in  the  publication  of  a  false  and  defamatory  statement

concerning another person  without lawful justification. That person  must be in being. Hence not

only does an action of defamation not survive for or against the estate of a deceased person, but a

statement about a deceased or unborn person is not actionable at the suit of his relatives, however

great  their  pain  and  distress,  unless  the  statement  is  in  some  way  defamatory  of  them.”  R.F.V.

Heuston, Salmond on the Law of Torts 138 (17th ed. 1977).

“For  entirely  too  long  a  period  of  time,  English  and  American  law  have  recognized  two

distinct kinds of defamation based solely on the form in which it is published. Oral defamation is

slander; written defamation is libel. Libel is a crime and a tort which subjects the defamer to tort

liability without proof of special damages. Slander is not a common law crime and,  with certain

exceptions,  does  not  subject  the  defamer  to  liability  unless  there  is  proof  of  special  damages.

Under this distinction in form alone the defamatory letter read only by its addressee and burned to

ashes  after  being  read  is  a  more  serious  defamation  than  a  defamatory  statement  spoken  to  an

audience  of  3,000  community  leaders  and  molders  of  public  opinion.  This is  utterly  absurd  and completely indefensible ….” Laurence H. Eldredge, The Law of Defamation§ 12, at 77 (1978).

“Defamation  …  is involved  in  two  related  harms, libel and  slander.  A  familiar  statement is

that  libel  is  written  whereas  slander  is  oral.  This  covers  the  idea  in  a  general  way  but  tends  to

mislead  because  defamation  may  be  published  without  the  use  of  words  and  hence  be  neither

written nor oral. Thus libel may be perpetrated by hanging a person in effigy and slander, by sign

or gesture.” Rollin M. Perkins & Ronald N. Boyce, Criminal Law 489 (3d ed. 1982).

defamation  per  quod.Defamation  that  either  (1)  is  not  apparent  but  is  proved  by  extrinsic

evidence showing its injurious meaning or (2) is apparent but is not a statement that is actionable

per se. [Cases: Libel and Slander    33. C.J.S. Libel and Slander, Injurious Falsehood § 198.]

defamation  per  se.A  statement  that  is  defamatory  in  and  of  itself  and  is  not  capable  of  an

innocent meaning. [Cases: Libel and Slander    33. C.J.S. Libel and Slander, Injurious Falsehood §

198.]

trade defamation.The damaging of a business by a false statement that tends to diminish the

reputation of that business. • Trade defamation may be trade libel if it is recorded, or trade slander

if  it  is  not.  —  Also  termed  commercial  defamation.  Cf.  TRADE  DISPARAGEMENT;  TRADE

LIBEL. [Blacks Law 8th]