Legal Question in Personal Injury in California
Is this libel? What can I do?
I wrote a play that was reviewed in a local newspaper. In the review, the journalist essentially called me a mysoginist. She said that I have ''contempt for women.'' This could not have been further from the truth. I wrote a letter to the editor to dispute her claim, and the newspaper did print my letter. However, the review is still on display in the newspaper's online version. Anybody can read it. I am trying to develop a career as a writer, and it doesn't look good when people do their research on me and find an article saying that I despise women. Is this libel? Can I get them to take the review off the Internet?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Is this libel? What can I do?
Libel must involve a statement of fact, not of opinion, and the statement must be one which readers would interpret as factual in nature. Statements like this one in reviews are common, and readers will most likely realize that it is an opinion based upon the critic's response to your play and not based on personal knowledge of you. From what little you've revealed here, your case sounds like it might not be very strong.
Your letter to the editor seems like the best way to respond. You wrote it, they printed it, and you should probably be happy with that.
While I understand your worries about your future career prospects, you should research how many writers (or actors, directors, etc.) have seen their careers soar after taking action against critics who write unfavorable reviews.
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