Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Arizona

Re: Libel case

It sounds like you want to do the research yourself. The easiest way to perform research is at a law library. The Maricopa County Law Library is located in downtown Phoenix, in a Superior Court building.

You can also perform research at the ASU Law Library in Tempe. Significantly, the ASU library has reference librarians that may help you get started. It is also open late at night. I don't know if a reference librarian is available in the Maricopa County Law library or not.

Here is a link to the Arizona statutes that use the word libel.

There may be others that also apply.

http://www.azleg.state.az.us/SearchResults.asp?SearchedFrom=%2FArizonaRevisedStatutes.asp&SearchPhrase=libel&Scope=%2Fars

New York Times v. Sullivan is the U.S. Supreme Court decision that has had the greatest impact on libel laws in the United States, and that should be a starting point. There is alot of information on Times v. Sullivan and subsequent cases on the internet. You will need to follow later court decisions to see how they fit with your situation.

There are different standards to prove libel depending on the facts and circumstances of your case. It will depend on several factors including how the information was published (paper, internet, etc.) who published the information (press or an individual), what your status is in the community ("private" or "public") and what sort of damage you have suffered. There are other relevant issues depending on the circumstances.

I have provided starting points, and you should do significantly more research. A qualified attorney can listen to you tell your story and review the claim's potential. As with most other legal claims, there is a time limit to your claim. You should not delay if you wish to preserve your claim.

Best of luck.