Legal Question in Personal Injury in Wisconsin

Re: What is defamation of character

I should begin with a disclaimer: I am not licensed to practice in Wisconsin, and the law there may not be the same as here in California. Having said that, I note that the definition of defamation of character is quite old and seems unlikely to vary much from one state to the next.

Essentially, defamation occurs when the defendant makes a false statement of fact about the plaintiff to a third party with either actual knowledge of the falsity or reckless disregard for the truth. There are certain types of statements that are privileged, but it doesn't seem that any of these exceptions is likely to apply in your situation.

Using your name "in a demeaning or negative context" is a vague description of what happened. I would need to know more about what was said to assess whether it was defamatory. People saying you were unpleasant to work with are probably just expressing their own opinions, but if they say you stole company property, for example, then you would have a better case.

You will need to be more specific about the statements being made about you before an attorney could say whether you have a defamation case.

Edward Hoffman

Law Offices of Edward A. Hoffman

11620 Wilshire Boulevard, #340