<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, Verdana">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by
[email protected]:
I am the sister of a celebrity, and a certain national tabloid has repeatedly trashed me on their front page, and elsewhere. Initially, this started when they printed a headline which informed the world of private
health issues of mine.
Some of what they have printed has been true, although unproveable, in some cases, and much of it has been false, which I could prove.
My question is: Under what circumstances can I sue them, and where would I find an attorney who would take this kind of case?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
My response:
You might find that the overview found at
http://freeadvice.com/law/576us.htm is particularly interesting and somewhat useful as a starting point to understand libel and slander. This area of law can be quite detailed, and far more so than the summary at that URL.
If in fact you are the sister of a celebrity, then you may be able to easily find the former attorneys for both Lonnie Anderson and Carol Burnett, who were successful in their lawsuits against the tabloids.
If you are a celebrity in your own rite, the threshold for libel and/or slander will be much higher than for those of us who are mere mortals. For celebrities, or near celebrities, the threshold is higher due to the California Shield law. Normally, a tabloid can refuse to disclose their sources of information; i.e., you'll notice that in most such stories, tabloids will often use the phrase, "according to a friend of XXX, the friend said . . . ." So, even if it's a false statement, the tabloid is only reporting what it was told by someone else, and is thus protected, and does not have to name the "friend."
Good luck in your quest.
IAAL
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