Can an individual file a defamation for a Facebook comment?

[GTTPDX]

https://www.osbar.org/index.html

When you call the Oregon Bar ask for several names of attorneys that specialize in defamation.

and thank you are well.

 

[Just Blue]

and thank you are well.

You're very welcome!

 

[quincy]

Thank you , that gives me a place to start

Anything you say to the attorney is privileged so you should be open and honest with the attorney.

I think you are smart to not disclose too much on a public forum.

Good luck. And thanks for the thanks.

 

[Taxing Matters]

Agreed - but the representation for any lawsuit won't be.

Such lawsuits, if there is good potential in them, would likely be done on a contingent fee basis. So while the representation wouldn't be free if the OP won something, he'd not pay for the attorney's fee up front.

 

[quincy]

Such lawsuits, if there is good potential in them, would likely be done on a contingent fee basis. So while the representation wouldn't be free if the OP won something, he'd not pay for the attorney's fee up front.

It really depends on the assessed value of the case. Defamation cases can get costly quickly. An attorney is unlikely to work on a contingency basis unless there is a good chance that damages awarded could be sizable.

 

[Taxing Matters]

It really depends on the assessed value of the case. Defamation cases can get costly quickly. An attorney is unlikely to work on a contingency basis unless there is a good chance that damages awarded could be sizable.

Hence my phrase if there is good potential in them.

 

[quincy]

Hence my phrase if there is good potential in them.

That was a good qualifier.

Most defamation suits are not big money suits - and I suspect that would be the case here. An attorney, therefore, is likely to require a retainer and charge by the hour and costs can escalate quickly.

 

[zddoodah]

I have been slandered with a very damaging false accusation by a family member in a comment on Facebook.

Slander is the spoken form of defamation. If it's on Facebook, then it's in writing (unless it's a video or audio file), which means it's libel, not slander.

Would I have grounds for a defamation lawsuit?

Depends on what exactly was written. In a nutshell, defamation is the making of a false statement of fact (not opinion) to at least one person other than the subject of the statement, which is harmful to the subject's reputation, which is made with a particular degree of knowledge (actual or constructive) regarding the statement's falsity, and (in most cases) which results in actual financial harm to the subject. The only indication I see in this thread is that it's a false statement, but you haven't otherwise told us anything that allows for a reasonable assessment of the merits.

 

[quincy]

Slander is the spoken form of defamation. If it's on Facebook, then it's in writing (unless it's a video or audio file), which means it's libel, not slander.




Depends on what exactly was written. In a nutshell, defamation is the making of a false statement of fact (not opinion) to at least one person other than the subject of the statement, which is harmful to the subject's reputation, which is made with a particular degree of knowledge (actual or constructive) regarding the statement's falsity, and (in most cases) which results in actual financial harm to the subject. The only indication I see in this thread is that it's a false statement, but you haven't otherwise told us anything that allows for a reasonable assessment of the merits.

Please try to take the time to read an entire thread, doodah. Your post has repeated what has already been said by others.

“Financial harm” is not necessary for a defamation claim, although economic harm can be one way to demonstrate injury to a reputation.