Legal Definitions - slanderer

A slanderer is an individual who makes false, damaging statements about another person verbally, which harms that person's reputation. The act of making such statements is known as slander. For a statement to be considered slander, it must be spoken (not written), untrue, communicated to a third party, and cause actual harm to the subject's reputation.

Here are a few examples to illustrate the concept of a slanderer:

• Example 1: Professional Reputation

  During a networking event, a former colleague, Sarah, tells several industry peers that her previous boss, Mr. Henderson, embezzled funds from their old company. Sarah knows this accusation is false and has no evidence to support it. As a result of Sarah's statements, Mr. Henderson loses a potential job offer because the hiring company heard the rumors and decided not to proceed. In this scenario, Sarah is acting as a slanderer because she verbally spread false information about Mr. Henderson's professional integrity, causing him reputational and financial harm.

• Example 2: Business Competition

  A local restaurant owner, David, is overheard telling customers that a new competing restaurant down the street, "The Gourmet Bistro," uses expired ingredients and has failed health inspections multiple times, neither of which is true. David's intention is to deter customers from visiting his competitor. Because of David's false verbal claims, "The Gourmet Bistro" sees a significant drop in customers. David is a slanderer because he made untrue, damaging spoken statements about a business, directly harming its reputation and livelihood.

• Example 3: Personal Character

  At a community meeting, Mark stands up and falsely accuses his neighbor, Lisa, of vandalizing public property, claiming he saw her do it, even though he knows she was out of town that day. Several attendees hear Mark's accusation, and afterward, some neighbors start treating Lisa with suspicion and distrust. Mark is a slanderer because he publicly made a false verbal accusation about Lisa's character and actions, causing damage to her standing within the community.