Legal Question in Civil Litigation in New York

Re: Slander

I do not believe that calling an individual "Gay" violates any criminal statutes. Therefore, the act is not a crime and the individual will not be able to "press charges."

However, this individual may commence a civil suit for liable (slander is spoken).

Your final question is whether you should be worried. Frankly, I do not have enough facts to make that determination. For example, if the chat room was part of a gay/lesbian web site, and the individual makes the statement, "I like women", your response, "you are gay" may not be actionable.

Another example is if the chat room was private. An individual cannot be held responsible for liable if the message was not shared with a third-person.

Personally, I think that you should be concerned if you receive a summons, which signifies the commencement of a legal action.

Mike.