Gavel Insight

Reputation is a valuable asset for individuals and businesses. Public perception can make or break a person’s career or a company’s success. Negative statements or false accusations can have a devastating effect on one’s reputation, leading to lost opportunities, financial harm, and emotional distress. To protect individuals and businesses from such harm, defamation law provides legal remedies for damage to reputation. In the state of Maryland, defamation law follows the common law principles and statutory provisions that govern libel (written defamation) and slander (spoken defamation). In this article, we will explore the essentials of defamation law in Maryland, including the definition of defamation, its elements, defenses, damages, and statute of limitations. What is Defamation? Defamation is a false statement that harms someone’s reputation. It can take the form of either libel (written) or slander (spoken) that is published or communicated to a third party. To qualify as defama...