Need to research libel/slander laws...suggestions?

[Widow]

What is the name of your state? Colorado (but crime occured in Ohio)

I have joined several other families in an attempt to have a pattern of official wrongdoing (including retaliation, false charges, and even several homicides) investigated by agencies outside of the county these crimes occured in.

We have taken our cause public through the internet and now have attention. I am extremely worried about possible libel/slander suits.

Is it libel to state "XXXX allegedly retaliated/murdered and I possess documented eyewitness statements"? Though I have not put to written word anything quite so bold, I am often treading "a thin line".

Can anyone recommend a site that may contain thorough explanations and advice on libel/slander laws that can be understood by someone with no legal experience?

Can libel/slander suits come from statements believed to be true with documentation to back it up in formal complaints to agencies such as the Dept. of Justice?

May I say, I think it is incredible that professionals have taken the time to guide the public in legal matters that would otherwise be unattainable without a large investment of money which many do not have. Thank you so much!

 

[HomeGuru]

What is the name of your state? Colorado (but crime occured in Ohio)

I have joined several other families in an attempt to have a pattern of official wrongdoing (including retaliation, false charges, and even several homicides) investigated by agencies outside of the county these crimes occured in.

We have taken our cause public through the internet and now have attention. I am extremely worried about possible libel/slander suits.

Is it libel to state "XXXX allegedly retaliated/murdered and I possess documented eyewitness statements"? Though I have not put to written word anything quite so bold, I am often treading "a thin line".

Can anyone recommend a site that may contain thorough explanations and advice on libel/slander laws that can be understood by someone with no legal experience?

Can libel/slander suits come from statements believed to be true with documentation to back it up in formal complaints to agencies such as the Dept. of Justice?

May I say, I think it is incredible that professionals have taken the time to guide the public in legal matters that would otherwise be unattainable without a large investment of money which many do not have. Thank you so much!

**A: suggestion, have all the involved families pool their money together and hire an attorney.

 

[quincy]

Oh dear.
No website is going to give you enough information on defamation and invasion of privacy actions to protect you from these suits. You and the other families can invest a relatively small sum of money now to review everything with a lawyer, or invest a sizable amount of money later defending yourself from lawsuits that are sure to follow your Internet postings.

Perhaps no other area of writing requires as much caution as the reporting of crimes. Unless a person has been arrested and a prosecutor has filed charges, and the information you are printing comes directly from these reports, and you are reporting this information accurately, and especially if you are identifying a person in your story by name, you are invading that person's privacy, you are injuring that person's reputation, and you are in a very real danger of being sued.

"Allegedly", by the way, implies crime, and statements taken from complaints filed are not evidence of a crime. Trying and convicting someone over the Internet is a dangerous thing to do.

Hire a lawyer before posting anything.