Recently in Defamation (Libel / Slander) Category

In a scenario that has become more and more common, a Chicago-based concrete company sued would-be customer Helen Maslona after she posted a scathing review on the popular Angie's List Web site, CBS News reported. 

She gave the company an "F" grade on Angie's List after the company refused to give her an estimate, claiming her home was outside its service area. Michael Fitzgerald, owner of All Fields of Concrete Construction, shot back with a $10,000 lawsuit claiming defamation.

Felony criminal charges against Samantha Tumpach may have been dropped after it became clear she was not trying to create a bootleg of the hit movie "Twilight Saga: New Moon," but the Chicago Tribune reported that Samantha Tumpach is now suing Muvico Theaters.

To recap, the 22-year-old was arrested after theater employees told police they caught her taping the movie with a handheld camcorder, which carries stiff penalties intended to thwart piracy. Samantha Tumpach insisted she was only taping the pre-movie festivities of her sister's birthday party, including the singing of "Happy Birthday" before the movie began.

Patti Blagojevich, wife of embattled ex-governor Rod Blagojevich, has dropped her defamation lawsuit against former Chicago Christian Industrial League (CCIL) director Richard Roberts, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. The two parties reached a pre-trial settlement, according to Chicago injury lawyers representing Patti Blagojevich.

She had accused Richard Roberts of making defamatory remarks when he claimed she inappropriately took an email list from the organization when she was fired last January.

Details of the settlement were kept under wraps, as is usually the case.

A panel of Illinois appellate court judges ruled that an Ottawa newspaper published by Ottawa Publishing must release the names of commentators on its Web site alleged to have made defamatory statements, the Chicago Tribune reported. 

With the help of an Illinois injury attorney, Ottawa couple Donald and Janet Maxon filed a motion urging Ottawa Publishing to release the names of two commentators they claim made defamatory statements about them.

The anonymous commentators allegedly accused the couple of bribing members of the Ottawa Plan Commission, according to court records. Donald and Janet Maxon sought to add rooms to their home in order to start up a bed-and-breakfast.

An Aurora couple accused of being swingers was awarded $54,000 in damages by a Will County Judge, according to the Chicago Tribune. And by "swingers," we don't mean 40s-era jazz enthusiasts but married couples that enjoy swapping partners for sexual encounters with other married couples.

Donald Howard and Tia Howard filed a defamation lawsuit against neighbor Amy Day last year. She was found liable for sending defamatory emails to their other neighbors and to the staff of their children's elementary school, claiming the couple were swingers and enjoyed "nude hot tub parties."

When Chicago's Fox News affiliate did a special investigation on so-called "lazy" Illinois judges, according to Courthouse News Service, it included video footage of a home they said belonged to Cook County Judge James Ryan. 

The reporter pointed to the car in the driveway, suggesting that the judge was already home from work in the middle of the afternoon.

But there was just one problem with their reporting: It was neither James Ryan's home nor his car. Now Fox News is facing a $7 million lawsuit for defamation after the faulty news report cost him his judicial position.

Liability for saying or writing something untrue and hurtful about someone else is nothing new and dates back to 1500s England, according to FindLaw. But since the Internet and specifically social networks such as Facebook have made written communications much more prevalent, so have instances of online defamation.

Fox Chicago published an article about online rumors and lies, including tips on how to protect yourself. The bottom line is that if someone says something untrue and potentially damaging about you online, it's probably in your best interests to contact an Illinois injury lawyer. 

First-term Chicago treasurer Stephanie Neely may not have the star power of Mayor Richard Daley, who (like most elected officials) faces daily criticism in the press, but the New York Times reported how her threat of a defamation suit against one critic may not get very far. She has retained an Illinois injury attorney and claims that a Chicago police officer repeatedly defamed her in a union newsletter. 

Before getting into the meat of the story, though, it would be helpful to briefly review defamation law.

FindLaw informs us that public officials and public figures (including celebrities) have a much higher standard of proof for libel or slander suits than the average Joe, and they have to prove that the alleged slanderer acted with "actual malice." The point is that the public has a right to scrutinize those in positions of power, which has always been the intended function of the press.

Heriberto Lopez Alberola claims he was falsely accused of threatening to kill Catholic Charities CEO Rev. Michael Boland, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. He has filed a defamation lawsuit against the Rev. Michael Boland and the Rev. Charles Rubey, associate director of programs for Catholic Charities, an arm of the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago.

In his complaint, Heriberto Lopez Alberola claims the two priests launched a "malicious campaign to ruin his name" and force him out of his new job at the Archdiocese as head of the Office of Latino Affairs.

With a little help from his Illinois injury attorney, he is seeking more than $50,000 in damages. Although he currently works for the archdiocesan chancery, he claims that the priests told archdiocesan lawyers that he was "violent, mentally unstable and dangerous," and therefore should not have been hired to run the Latino Affairs department.

FindLaw tells us that public figures like Chicago's own Oprah Winfrey generally cannot sue others for libel or slander, the two main types of defamation, by virtue of their celebrity. But there's nothing to stop someone from suing a public figure for defamation.

CNN reports that Ms. Winfrey, the famous talk show host and trend-setter, has been sued for defamation by the former headmistress of the South African girls school she funded and helped start. As a result of this lawsuit, Ms. Winfrey was going to be required to appear in court in Philadelphia.

Lerato Nomvuyo Mzamane claims Ms. Winfrey defamed her in 2007 by making public statements implying that Ms. Mzamane knew about alleged sex abuse at the school and covered it up. She was suspended upon the public release of Ms. Winfrey's remarks and later fired from her post.