Liable? Defamation of character?

[Illinois Parent]

My photo has been put on a personal web site, by an angry community member, with derogatory comments. This person has also added derogatory accusations to another web page bulletin board about myself and others, including statements that this person was threatened with physical violence. What I need to know is, other than being an annoyance, is this legal? Is this considered slander or liable or defamation of character? What are the legal guidelines for those things anyway? And probably most importantly, what can I do? I assume I can contact the IP and address it in that way, but is there any legal recourse in the 'real' world that I can also look into?

Any guidance on this would be greatly appreciated. I would be more than happy to give more details, if there is someone I can contact via e-mail.

Thanks

 

[ALawyer]

Read the section on Libel and Slander on FreeAdvice.com. A letter from a lawyer to the person may do the trick.

 

[Illinois Parent]

ALawyer

Thank you for your response. I will read the sections, and I hope that I may be able to pick up a tip or two that will make an 'official' letter from a lawyer unnecessary. Again, thanks for the advice.