What is considered defamatory on social media?

Experienced Attorney

Social media is now woven into the fabric of many people’s daily lives, and not surprisingly, the issue of defamation can arise and hiring a personal injury lawyer may be necessary. In some instances, the defamatory content is at risk for exposure to a large number of people, possibly into the hundreds of thousands, or more. There are many scenarios in which this is a huge problem, as our personal injury lawyer has seen firsthand. If you have been defamed on social media and suffered financially or emotionally as a result, contact an attorney. They may be able to negotiate a settlement on your behalf from the responsible party.

What is defamation?

Defamation is the disparaging of an individual by someone in written and/or spoken form. Defamation in published writings is called libel. Defamation that is spoken aloud and overheard by others is called slander. Defamation is a civil wrong, not a criminal wrong, and so the victim can sue the defamer with the help of a personal injury lawyer to obtain a financial settlement that recovers their damages.

What are damages?

In the context of defamation, it is a civil wrong and considered damage to the victim. To receive compensation for that damage, the victim must show how the defamation resulted in a financial loss or an emotional loss such as embarrassment. The victim’s personal injury lawyer can assign a dollar value to the damages and then submit a claim for that amount. The claim will be directed at the defamer. If they do not agree to pay the victim a settlement, the personal injury lawyer may advise their client to pursue a civil lawsuit against the defamer.

What are some examples of defamation on social media?

Social media sites are social by their very nature, and so the interaction of members with resulting feedback is strongly encouraged. As our personal injury lawyer might tell you, social media platforms are often Gossip Central and facts are not always differentiated from fiction. Lies or defamation about someone’s character or a business can be devastating to the victim. Here are some common examples of this, thanks to social media:

• A photo editing application might be used to create an image that is extremely derogatory or embarrassing to the subject of the photo, and in this way defaming them. The doctored image may try to portray the person involved in a nefarious act, or it may heavily misquote them in a “meme” or cartoon. As a result, the person might lose customers for their business, or be embarrassed among friends and family though they did nothing wrong. A personal injury lawyer can estimate the dollar value of their damages and pursue that amount of compensation from the defamer.
• Statements might be made about a company that are wholly untrue and the person who said them may have knowingly done so with the intent of hurting the company’s business. For instance, a social media poster might make a false claim that a particular restaurant has an open sewage line in the kitchen. With the help of a personal injury lawyer, the restaurant can prove that the claim is false and file a lawsuit with the poster for an amount of compensation equal to the amount of business they have lost as a result.

Whether you are an individual or a business hurt by the untrue claims of another party, call to speak with a personal injury attorney Bristol, TN offers to learn how they might be able to help you.

Thank you to our friends and contributors at The Law Offices of Mark T. Hurt for their insight into personal injury cases and credible witnesses for car accidents.