Anyone who has shopped at a supermarket has likely seen the often outrageous headlines that cover the tabloids. These headlines describe the peccadilloes of famous people like movie stars and television actors. Some of these claims may seem humorous, such as visits with space aliens. In everyday life, however, false accusations and depictions are no laughing matter. Slander and libel can affect both your client’s livelihood and self-esteem.

Those who are targets of slander/libel are usually victims of convenience. They are chosen because they are unable or unwilling to defend themselves. A common form of slander/libel is scapegoating. In this process an innocent person is blamed for the problems of another. The motive is usually anger born of frustration and/or self-aggrandizement. The victim is in a relatively weaker position than the perpetrator. The latter attempts to raise his/her status through this process. The perpetrator cements the process by “proving” through innuendo or false witness that the victim is guilty of some negative deed(s). As a consequence, the victim may actually begin to believe the accusor and feel inferior, insecure, and anxious. In addition, the victim often feels different form everybody else because the process is by definition isolating. The emotional distress and psychological sequellae of scapegoating may continue to exist for years after the slanderous/libelous incident. There may be self-imposed exile and misery. In other words, the target of slander/libel may react similarly to a rape victim - ostracized though innocent, self-blaming though abused.