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It outlines libel and slander, including examples of written/recorded and spoken communications, and describes practical steps after defamatory comments, such as gathering evidence, seeking legal advice, sending a cease and desist letter, and requesting retraction and apology. It also covers key elements needed to prove defamation and common legal defences.",{"@graph":63,"@context":119},[64,80,102],{"@type":65,"itemListElement":66},"BreadcrumbList",[67,71,74,77],{"item":68,"name":69,"@type":70,"position":9},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":72,"name":10,"@type":70,"position":73},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/",2,{"item":75,"name":41,"@type":70,"position":76},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/letters/",3,{"item":78,"name":59,"@type":70,"position":79},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/defamation-libel-slander-your-reputation-the-law/278238/",4,{"url":78,"name":59,"@type":81,"image":82,"author":87,"headline":59,"publisher":90,"fileFormat":93,"inLanguage":57,"description":61,"dateModified":94,"datePublished":95,"encodingFormat":93,"isAccessibleForFree":96,"interactionStatistic":97},"DigitalDocument",{"url":83,"@type":84,"width":85,"height":86},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/defamation-libel-slander-your-reputation-the-law/278238.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":88,"@type":89},"Mimi","Person",{"url":68,"name":91,"@type":92},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-28","2026-09-15",true,{"@type":98,"interactionType":99,"userInteractionCount":101},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":100},"ViewAction",10,{"@type":103,"mainEntity":104},"FAQPage",[105,111,115],{"name":106,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":108},"What makes a statement defamation under this guide?","Question",{"text":109,"@type":110},"A defamatory communication tends to lower a person’s reputation in the eyes of a reasonable person, refers to the person, is false, and is communicated to at least one other person.","Answer",{"name":112,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":113},"What is the difference between libel and slander?",{"text":114,"@type":110},"Libel is defamation in a written or recorded form that leaves a permanent record, while slander is defamation without a permanent record, mostly spoken.",{"name":116,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":117},"What steps should you take after someone makes defamatory comments about you?",{"text":118,"@type":110},"Collect details about what was said, to whom, when and how often, whether it was published, whether it was repeated, and any damaging effects. You may also contact a lawyer, consider a cease and desist letter, and ask for public retraction and an apology.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":78,"og:type":121,"og:title":59,"og:site_name":91,"og:description":61},"article",{"robots":123,"canonical":78},"index,follow",{"doc_id":125,"site_id":56},278238,1790332480,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":128},{"doc_id":125,"user_id":129,"nickname":88,"user_avatar":130,"doc_module":9,"category_id":40,"category_name":41,"doc_title":59,"doc_description":61,"doc_content":131,"file_id":132,"file_url":133,"file_type":134,"file_size":135,"view_count":101,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":9,"is_downloadable":9,"audit_status":9,"page_count":136,"language":137,"language_code":57,"site_id":56,"html_lang":57,"table_of_contents":138,"faqs":139,"seo_title":140,"seo_description":61,"update_tm":141,"read_time":76},2336477974920,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d","DEFAMATION  \nYour Reputation & The Law  \nDEFAMATION: LIBEL & SLANDER  \nA good reputation is part of your self-worth and dignity. Once harmed, a good reputation is hard to get back.  \nThe law of defamation protects a person’s reputation from harm that is not justified.  \nDefamation is communication about a person that tends to hurt their reputation. It causes people who read or hear the communication to think less of the person.  \nThe law doesn’t protect you from a personal insult or a remark that injures only your pride. It protects your reputation in the minds of others, not your feelings.  \nFor example, if someone in a public meeting calls you a nasty word, your feelings might be hurt, but you would have a difficult time showing the communication lowered your reputation in the minds of others.  \nIf someone tells others you cheat in your business dealings, then you would have a much stronger claim that this harms your reputation and is defamatory.  \nThe law tries to balance a person’s right to protect their reputation against competing rights such as the guarantee of freedom of expression under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  \nSometimes, even though someone makes a defamatory statement that harms a person’s reputation, the law may say another right, like freedom of expression, is more important.  \nThis legal information is about civil defamation. It does not talk about criminal defamation. Defamation can also be a crime under the Criminal Code, but criminal charges for defamation are rare. This information does not give legal advice.  \nDIFFERENT FORMS OF DEFAMATION: LIBEL AND SLANDER  \nLibel  \nIf defamation is written or recorded in some other way, it is called libel. Libel is defamation that leaves a permanent record. Examples of libel are statements on social media or other online platforms, in newspapers, letters, or emails, or on radio or TV broadcasts. Libel can also be a picture.  \nSlander  \nIf the defamation leaves no permanent record, it is called slander. Mostly this is spoken statements. It can also be a hand gesture or something similar.  \nUnder Nova Scotia’s Defamation Act, libel and slander are treated the same: either can be ‘defamation’, and can be the basis of a civil lawsuit.  \nDefamation can be committed against a group or an individual.  \nDEFAMATION: LIBEL & SLANDER | Your Reputation & The Law 2  \nOPTIONS IF SOMEONE MADE DEFAMATORY COMMENTS ABOUT YOU  \nCollect all of the information you can about:  \nf what was said and to who,  \nf whether it was published somewhere (and if so, keep a copy),  \nf when it was said and how often (dates),  \nf whether it was repeated by anyone else, and  \nf any damaging effects that you have noticed. This might include money loss, loss of business or customers, emotional or psychological effects.  \nIf you’ve been bullied online or had intimate pictures of you shared without your consent, you’re protected under Nova Scotia’s Intimate Images and Cyber-protection Act. See “Online bullying” below, and contact Nova Scotia CyberScan at [novascotia.ca/cyberscan/](novascotia.ca/cyberscan/) or call 902-424-6990 or 1-855-702-8324 for help.  \nYou might try writing a ‘cease and desist’ letter. This is a letter telling the person to stop making the defamatory comments right now and in the future. The letter can threaten to sue if the defamatory statements do not stop. You could write the letter yourself or hire a lawyer to write it for you.  \nAsk the person to publicly retract (take back) the comments and apologize.  \nIf someone defames you, you might be able to sue them for money (called damages) for harming your reputation.  \nIt is a good idea to contact a lawyer and get advice about whether you have the basis to sue the person who made the comments, or to perhaps get them to retract them and apologize.  \nYou should get advice as soon as possible as there are time limits, called limitation periods, on when you can sue and they can vary depending on who you plan to sue. The limitation p","cbCaia0Zr3yU2NXk","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaia0Zr3yU2NXk","pdf",325024,9,"English","# Defamation: Libel & Slander\n## Your Reputation & The Law\n## Different Forms of Defamation: Libel and Slander\n## Options if Someone Made Defamatory Comments About You\n## To Show That Someone Defamed You: Required Elements\n## Defences to a Defamation Claim","[{\"question\":\"What makes a statement defamation under this guide?\",\"answer\":\"A defamatory communication tends to lower a person’s reputation in the eyes of a reasonable person, refers to the person, is false, and is communicated to at least one other person.\"},{\"question\":\"What is the difference between libel and slander?\",\"answer\":\"Libel is defamation in a written or recorded form that leaves a permanent record, while slander is defamation without a permanent record, mostly spoken.\"},{\"question\":\"What steps should you take after someone makes defamatory comments about you?\",\"answer\":\"Collect details about what was said, to whom, when and how often, whether it was published, whether it was repeated, and any damaging effects. You may also contact a lawyer, consider a cease and desist letter, and ask for public retraction and an apology.\"}]","Defamation: Libel & Slander - Your Reputation & The Law | PDF",1789508416]