Slander is the defamation of character that occurs through the spoken word. If you want to sue for slander, you may do well to seek the help of an attorney who is experienced with slander cases, but you may alternatively choose to pursue your case pro se, or on your own. Essentially, you’ll need to gather your evidence and file suit in the appropriate court in your jurisdiction. You may also need to create a list of witnesses who will testify about the slander in court. You will usually need to go to court as well and present your case by providing details about the slanderous statements that were made, when and by whom they were made, and how you were harmed.
Before you sue for slander, it is important to make sure the statements that were made about you were actually slanderous. To be considered slander, they must usually be false. You may also do well to evaluate whether the statements have caused you some type of harm, such as the loss of clients or your job. Your evidence of such harm likely will be used in determining the damages in your case.
The easiest way to sue for slander is usually with the assistance of a lawyer. This is due to the fact that a slander lawyer usually has extensive education and experience in dealing with your type of case. He may have knowledge of the law and court procedures that would normally take you a significant amount of time to learn. Likewise, he may have experience in dealing with witnesses and common arguments used in slander cases.
Once you have chosen a slander attorney or decided to proceed on your own, your next step may be gathering evidence and identifying witnesses. In most cases, you are unlikely to win if all you have to prove your case is your word. Instead, you will likely need to prove that the party you are suing made false statements about you publicly. Additionally, you will probably have to demonstrate that the statements the person made harmed you financially. Eyewitnesses are often acceptable for proving that slanderous statements were made, but you may also need documents to prove financial harm.
With evidence and witnesses to help you to prove your case, you’ll usually have to go to court to sue for slander. If you have an attorney, he will typically argue the case on your behalf. If you do not have an attorney, you will need to present your evidence, question witnesses and the defendant, and argue your case on your own. It is worth noting, however, that some slander cases never make it through a complete trial. Many are settled out of court.
