Legal Question in Civil Litigation in California
Tort Law and Myspace
A girl I have only met once, recently without any provoking from myself, posted slanderous material about me to her myspace page. She then began requesting ''friends'' with people I associate with whom she doesn't personally know. I can only assume that she did this so my peers would be able to view the slander. The slanderous statement was that I am a ''queen of STD's,'' I am curious if I could prosecute a libel case in small claims court in California.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Tort Law and Myspace
Small Claims Court primarily deals with awards of money damages, and with some exceptions that probably wouldn't apply to your case. I don't think you would be barred from bringing a defamation claim within the money limits of that court; however, proving money damages to the court's satisfaction may be too much for you. And, if you lose, that is the end of your case: Plaintiffs have no right of appeal like defendants do.
You might want to go over your case with a lawyer first before you file and serve it.