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Skilled Defamation Lawsuit Attorneys in North Carolina
At Roberts & Harris, PC, our Raleigh personal injury attorneys know that false allegations of sexual assault, sexual misconduct, domestic violence, and other transgressions can cause significant damage to a person’s reputation.
Unfortunately, no one is immune from becoming the target of accusations that defame their character. Everyone from high school and college students to ex-partners and working professionals are suffering from malicious sexual misconduct and assault claims that are ruining their scholastic, personal, and career opportunities.
The reality is, once the vilifying remarks are made verbally or are written in emails or online, the scorn, hatred, ridicule, disgrace, or contempt they suffer can be ruinous.
When our North Carolina residents suffer exceptional harm to their reputations, they may be eligible to file a personal injury claim against the individual who defamed them by prioritizing facts over allegations and pursuing more than financial restitution, but justice.
Is Defamation of Character Considered a Personal Injury?
Defamation of character is part of personal injury law because it causes damage to an individual’s character or reputation.
Legally, two types of defamation can be pursued in civil court.
They are:
- Libel: Written or published defamation that occurs in videos, text, photographs, or other media.
- Slander: Spoken communication of a false assertion of fact to a third party or entity.
Because of the multitude of ways people can communicate, defamation can take multiple forms, including in-person conversations, text messages, emails, online, and social media.
To prove defamation has occurred, the legal threshold requires more than a person getting his or her feelings hurt by verbal or written comments. A statement of defamation must be a false statement of fact, not an opinion, and must be made to a third party.
What are the Most Common Examples of Defamation of Character in North Carolina?
Defamation can occur in many forms, and often includes false, malicious, and injurious statements that harm a person’s reputation.
They can include, but are not limited to:
- False accusations of sexual misconduct or assault.
- False accusations of workplace sexual harassment or discrimination.
- False statements about employees stealing from their employers.
- Ex-partners or spouses making false accusations about sexual abuse or domestic violence.
- False claims about professionals or public officials taking bribes or kickbacks.
- False posts, comments, statuses, and profiles on social media used to harass individuals and businesses.
- False shaming posts and reports on websites accusing individuals of infidelity, predatory behavior, or having committed a crime.
When our clients’ personal and/or professional reputations are damaged by false claims, we can help them pursue the negligent or malicious party who made the accusations or statements through a personal injury lawsuit, so they can get their lives back.
Contact us today to learn more about your legal rights and options to help set the record straight.
Our Skilled Raleigh Personal Injury Attorneys Provide Customized Legal Solutions For All North Carolina Residents In The Following Practice Areas:
- Assaults
- Auto Accidents
- Bicycle Accidents
- Business Litigation
- Dog Bites & Attacks
- Medical Malpractice
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Nursing Home Abuse
- Pedestrian Accidents
- Qui Tam/Whistleblower
- Truck Accidents
- Wrongful Death
- Products Liability
- Premises Liability
- Sexual Abuse
Can I File a Lawsuit Against Someone for Defamation of Character?
To be eligible to file a personal injury lawsuit against a person or entity that made false claims about you, we must ensure that four factors are true.
They include:
- The statement that was made is false and defamatory.
- The statement was published or spoken to another person (other than you) or a third party.
- The defamatory statements were published with malicious intent, or at the very least negligently.
- You experienced damages or harm because of the statement.
If you have suffered personal or professional harm that caused direct damage to your reputation or business, contact our skilled Raleigh personal injury attorneys at Roberts & Harris, PC today at 919-249-5006 or online to learn how we can help you hold the individual or entity who caused you harm liable for their defamatory statements.
Our skilled litigators provide free consultations for all personal injury cases in North Carolina, and never charge any legal fees unless we deliver a positive outcome for your unique case. Call us now to learn more.