With all the hate crimes going on these days, it can be hard sometimes to remember that it’s the 2010s and not the 1960s, but strides have been made and there are laws in place to protect everyone’s right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, regardless of their…
Most large companies have entire departments devoted to handling their public relations and part of their job description includes coming up with ways to counteract negative media attention. Most of those strategies don’t involve filing a defamation lawsuit against the news organization that published the unflattering statements, but that’s exactly…
Because stock trading is full of opportunities for traders to take advantage of their positions, the law takes accusations of fraud very seriously, but it works the other way, too. Traders have to work hard to protect their reputations because their livelihood depends on it. As a result, stock traders…
Nobody likes getting a bad job performance review, but can an employee who receives one and later loses her job bring a winnable claim for defamation? Probably not, according to a recent decision issued by the Illinois First District Appellate Court. Sandra G. was employed by the American Association of…
A board member’s reporting of suspected corporate financial malfeasance to the SEC is protected from litigious retaliation by Illinois’ Citizenship Participation Act, but reporting it to shareholders is not. Ditto Holdings, Inc. is a private shareholder-owned corporation whose sole subsidiary is Ditto Trade Inc., an online retail stock trading company.…
Celebrities often have to deal with false reports about their personal and professional lives. It’s a known hazard of the job and each celebrity deals with it in their own way. It’s rare that a celebrity will go so far as to file a defamation lawsuit against someone for making…
Anyone who has had to face allegations of defamation would probably agree that having to deal with such a lawsuit constitutes personal injury. Defendants involved in these types of lawsuits often have to pay hefty legal fees in order to defend themselves against the allegations, to say nothing of the…
The Internet has changed the way everyone does business. A lot of companies that used to rely on professional reviews and/or word of mouth to spread news about their business now have to deal with online reviews. Multiple sites exist for consumers to post reviews of just about any business…
As more and more companies use non-disparagement clauses in their Terms of Service and other contracts with their consumers, it can feel to customers like they have no outlet to talk about their negative experiences with certain businesses. Congress has proposed a bill called the Consumer Review Freedom Act, which…
Technology has been advancing so quickly in just the past few years that the law is still struggling to keep up, but the law is successfully keeping pace, at least in some areas. Dr. Rosalind Griffin recently demonstrated what appears to be a lack of understanding of both defamation law…