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How to deal with slander

Slander or defamation of character

Slander or defamation of character through spoken statement, which affects the reputation of an individual, is a serious issue to be dealt with. Rather than criminal liability, it carries civil liability. You can follow several steps to deal with slander:

Ignore people who defame you

You are advised to maintain distance from people who try to harm your reputation by defaming you till you can actually prove that the comments are directed to you. You will have to prove that the comments are derogatory and has caused you loss. A step taken in that situation will only attract attention and get worse. Hence, it will be sagacious to move ahead without paying heed.

Ask person to retract his statement

You need to ask the person who has made defamatory remarks to take his words back. Before suing the person for defamation it is always advisable to come to a solution. Because even if you approach court, it must ensure that the right to free speech is not violated. Therefore, proving defamation in court is not an easy task and thus such cases are mostly settled outside. The person can be asked for written retraction by you verbally or in written. You can also make the person aware that he will be sued if he fails to retract.

File a lawsuit

If in case the person does not agree to retract to his statement you can sue him on the charges of defaming your character. For this you will have to complete and file complaint against the concerned person which will help you start lawsuit with the appropriate court. You also need to give notice to the defendant regarding lawsuit by serving complaint on him. You are advised to strictly follow the rules related to service of process in the state you are filing complaint in.

Accumulate as much evidence as you can

In order to prove that defamation of your character has taken place, it is very important to establish that the spoken statement, which if published, was not true and unprivileged at the same time. A statement to be published needs another person, a subject, along with the speaker, to testify that he has either heard or seen the statement being made. As far as publication is concerned it can be through talking forums, television, books or radio. It is very necessary that the statement should be such that it harms the reputation of the subject to stand valid in court.

Avoid making false statements

Avoid making false public statements or accuse other individuals because it is pretty possible that you fall prey to them registering a case against you charging you for slandering them in return. The best option to avoid someone from suing you for the charge of slander is to avoid yourself being involved in making slanderous statements. It is advisable to bring into light only those thoughts that you think are rational enough to be believed as true. You can very well hire a qualified attorney or someone who is expert at handling such cases to bring lawsuit against the concerned party without yourself falling in any kind of argument.

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