Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Washington

Re: deprivation of character

What you are talking about it more properly characterized as defamation (libel is written defamation and slander is oral or non-written defamation).

To prove defamation, you need to prove (among other things) that you suffered financial damages. This should be empirically measurable in an ideal case, but in some cases more speculative information will suffice, it just depends on a case by case basis.

Damages are often the problem because even if we can prove the actual defamation took place, the question is "what's the damage?" It is no good if you suffered $5,000 in damages but it takes you $25,000 to go to trial to win your case.

So, the question that comes up is what kind of speaking fees were you set to earn? Maybe you've suffered an injury to your reputation that precludes you from other speaking engagements, since no one wants to hire you for misperceptions about you based upon the defamation. That is something you would have to explore with counsel.

You may have a strong case, I can't say from the information provided in your query. If you consult with an attorney, that person should be able to give you a better assessment of how to proceed.