Question

Monica owed Bob $500, which was more than a year overdue. Bob got drunk at a party and told everyone there that Monica had owed him $500 for over a year. Can Monica recover from Bob for defamation? Yes, because Bob abused his conditional privilege. No, because Bob has the defense of truth. Yes, because Bob communicated the statement to third persons and defamed her. Yes, because a statement saying that a person does not pay his/her debts on time is slander per se.

Answer 1

Answer: No, because Bob has the defense of truth.

Explanation: Defamation is passing on false and harmful information about someone to a third party. Because Monica does owe $500, he has the defense of truth which is an absolute defense as it renders what he has said, just fact and not defamation at all. For a defamation case to be proven, the information must be false.

Defamation laws exist to protect people’s reputation from false statements being made about them. The media used defines the type of Defamation. When it is in written form, it is libel and when spoken, it is slander.