May 6, 2010

N.Y. Courts Tackle Electronic Defamation

by Mark A. Berman
New York Law Journal

Blogs and personal web pages, such as on MySpace and Facebook, provide a broad stage to spread potentially defamatory statements. Thus, care must be taken when posting content on social media. Postings can take just seconds to compose and frequently little thought is given to what is being stated and its consequences, especially where such communication may reach an audience of millions, virtually instantaneously.

Addressing the now prevalent claim of internet or electronic defamation, the recent cases discussed below describe how New York state courts are analyzing such cause of action, and the defenses available to it.

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