Defamation and Slander Laws in VA

Defamation occurs when a false statement is made that causes harm to an individual’s reputation or finances regarding their future opportunities, physical health, or mental health, and can carry serious legal consequences.

In a court of law, an individual can sue another for one of two forms of defamation: slander and libel. In a case of slander, an individual has spoken defamatory statements, while libel is defamatory statements that have been written or posted.

Once defamation has occurred, the affected individual can send a cease and desist letter, which essentially warns the offender to cease defamatory claims or risk legal action. The following article will outline the process of defamation of character lawsuit in the state of Virginia.

Virginia’s Definition of Defamation

To properly proceed with a case in Virginia, the extent and type of defamation must be determined by the state laws. The kinds of defamation and the definitions of defamation itself are outlined below.

Slander vs. Libel

Defamation can be categorized as either slander or libel:

Libel is any form of defamation that holds a permanent record of some kind. This includes but is not limited to emails, radio or TV broadcasts, articles or postings
Slander is a form of defamation that is not recorded permanently, such as making a spoken statement or a defamatory action

Categorizing your defamation suit is the first step in proving a defamation claim by establishing the reasons for issuing a cease and desist letter.

The State of Virginia and Online Defamation

Although it is possible to prove online defamation, it is extremely difficult to decide to pursue legal action. However, in Virginia, defendants can be charged under the state’s “harassment by computer” laws.

Virginia and defining online defamation

One of Virginia’s key anti-online defamation statutes is in Section 18, called the “Harassment by Computer” act. This states that:

Any person with the intent to coerce, intimidate, harass or abuse any person through a computer and communicates obscene, vulgar, profane, lewd, lascivious, or indecent language or suggests an obscene proposal that threatens an illegal or immoral act, they are guilty of harassment on a computer
The law also states that this crime may serve as a basis for a civil action for damages
Oral threats to kill or bodily injure anyone may also bring forth charges under the state’s threats of death or bodily injury legislation
This legislation also applies to written threats
In the case of criminal stalking, online defamation can be escalated to a greater charge

Punishments for online defamation within the state of Virginia

Harassment by computer is a Class 1 Misdemeanor and can incur a fine of up to $2,500, up to one year in jail, or both
Orally threatening someone is a Class 1 Misdemeanor
Threatening to kill or injure someone is a Class 6 Felony, treated as either a misdemeanor with a fine of $2,500 or up to one year in jail or a felony, with at least 1 and up to 5 years in prison
Stalking is typically a class 1 misdemeanor but escalates to a Class 6 Felony in crimes that violate a protective order

Suing for Defamation of Character in the State of Virginia

In Virginia, the law states that the elements of a defamation claim are:

An Intent to coerce	The person who defamed you had the intention to coerce, bully, intimidate or harass you
Defamation occurred	The defamation occurred and there are records of messages, actions, or statements that contained libel
Defamation was obscene	The defamation made a suggestion or proposal that was obscene, threatened an illegal or immoral act, or was vulgar, profane, lewd, or indecent
Damage incurred	You incurred damages as a result of the individual’s actions

Examples of defamation per se in the state of Virginia

In Virginia, these four broad statements are valid defamation per se, so harmful that they will always be considered defamatory and will be always assumed to have incurred substantial damages:

Implying that a crime was committed that was immoral
Implying that an individual has an infectious or embarrassing disease that requisites societal exclusion
Implying that an individual is unfit to perform a job and lacks basic integrity in the performance of their job itself
The statement creates prejudice in the trade of the victim

Send a Cease and Desist Letter

Cease and desist letters are extremely complex, and require precise language to make your case credible.
If your letter does not properly outline the damages, harm, and other information about your case with terminology that is applicable in a court of law, your letter may be disregarded or deemed insufficient when you use it as evidence in court.
Alternatively, hiring a lawyer to write a cease and desist letter on your behalf is expensive and may take more time than you think. In the state of Virginia, a case like this carries a statute of limitations of one year following the incident of defamation, meaning that your time to file a lawsuit is limited. You will need to send a cease and desist letter before you file a lawsuit.

Find Out How to Draft a Cease and Desist Letter in Minutes!

DoNotPay is an easy, credible, and safe solution! The cease and desist letter drafts details the information about the case, demands retraction, warns against any impending statements, and requests that the accused abides by Virginia state law.

All you need to do is:

1. Search "Defamation" on and look for the Defamation Demand Letters product.

2. Tell us about your situation:

Were the statements slander or libel?
What were the statements?
Why are they false or misleading?
What consequences have you suffered as a result of these statements?

3. Based on your location, DoNotPay will immediately generate a formal demand letter on your behalf, with the most relevant state legislation regarding defamation.

That’s it! You can download a detailed drafted cease and desist letter to your cause in an instant!

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