Legal Definitions - Slander

Slander refers to a false statement, typically spoken aloud, that harms another person's reputation.

Unlike libel, which involves written or published defamatory statements, slander is primarily concerned with spoken words. For a statement to be considered slanderous, it must be untrue and communicated to a third party, causing damage to the subject's standing in the community or profession. A crucial aspect of slander is that the person claiming to be slandered usually needs to demonstrate that they suffered actual harm or loss as a direct result of the false statement, such as lost income, a damaged business, or a missed opportunity.

• Example 1: Professional Reputation

  During a public meeting, a competitor falsely announces that a local restaurant owner uses expired ingredients and has failed health inspections multiple times, even though the restaurant consistently passes all checks. As a result, several regular customers stop frequenting the restaurant, and a planned catering contract is canceled.

  This illustrates slander because the competitor made a false, spoken statement to others that damaged the restaurant owner's professional reputation and led to measurable financial losses (lost customers and a canceled contract).

• Example 2: Personal Character

  A neighbor, upset about a property dispute, tells several other neighbors at a community barbecue that another resident was recently arrested for shoplifting, despite the resident having no criminal record whatsoever. Word spreads, and the resident is subsequently excluded from neighborhood social events and experiences social ostracization.

  This is an example of slander because the neighbor made a false, oral accusation about the resident's character to multiple people, causing harm to the resident's social standing and personal reputation within the community. The social exclusion could be considered a form of actual damage.

• Example 3: Employment Context

  After an employee leaves a company, their former manager, when contacted by a prospective new employer for a reference, orally states that the employee was fired for stealing company property, which is entirely untrue. The prospective employer then withdraws their job offer.

  This demonstrates slander because the former manager made a false, spoken statement to a third party (the prospective employer) that directly harmed the ex-employee's ability to secure new employment, resulting in a clear and provable loss of a job opportunity.