Libel

Definition

Written false statements that damage someone's reputation. It's slander's literate cousin, and just as nasty, except it stays around forever in print.

Example Usage

The newspaper was sued for libel after publishing the false accusation.

Origin

From Latin 'libellus,' meaning a little book or pamphlet

Fun Fact

The internet has made libel laws a nightmare because tweets, blog posts, and comments are all arguably 'published' and therefore libelous if false.

Source: Tort law and defamation

Related Terms

Advanced

champerty

The illegal practice of funding someone else's lawsuit in exchange for a share of the proceeds, essentially legal speculation that most jurisdictions frown upon. Ambulance chasing's more sophisticated cousin.

⚖️ Legal

Advanced

champerty and maintenance

Unethical practices where someone finances another's lawsuit in exchange for a share of the proceeds (champerty) or meddles in litigation without legitimate interest (maintenance). Once common law crimes, now mostly historical curiosities.

⚖️ Legal

Advanced

conciliation

The kinder, gentler cousin of litigation where a neutral third party helps feuding parties find common ground before lawyers drain everyone's bank accounts. It's less formal than mediation but more structured than angry phone calls. Companies love it because it's cheaper than court; employees tolerate it because it's faster than the alternative.

⚖️ Legal

Intermediate

detention

The legal holding pattern nobody wants to join—when authorities keep you cooling your heels pending trial or as punishment, because freedom must apparently wait. Basically, the court's way of saying 'don't go anywhere.'

⚖️ Legal

Intermediate

recanting

Publicly admitting you were wrong and taking back what you said earlier—the legal equivalent of 'I take it back!' Recanting is the formal withdrawal or repudiation of a previous statement, often under oath.

⚖️ Legal

Intermediate

subrogation

When one party steps into another's shoes to claim their rights, typically your insurance company suing on your behalf after paying your claim. They get the money, you get the satisfaction of watching.

⚖️ Legal

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