Quote:
Originally Posted by amandalouise
when a person sues someone for libel they have to show in court proof that the statement is a lie and that the false statement damaged their reputation and character... for example he would have to have a work statement showing he was at work during the date and time the article stated the abuse was happening, and show how the statement of abuse caused him to lose his job, neighbors turn against him, family turned against him, could not get a job because of the false statement...
on the defense side of a libel case the person would need to show proof of the abuse and that it was him, he wasnt at work or what ever his alibi's are, you would need to show the court medical records, mental health records, police reports, ... in short prove what you wrote is not a false statement.
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I never published his name, never said the abuser was my father, and we don't even have the same surname. I never published dates and times, I mean I don't know that because it was almost 30 years ago. He's never lost a job, he's self-employed and extremely successful. He's suffered no relationship losses since I began writing.
I have no idea how I'd prove abuse that took place so long ago. If I did, I might press charges against him for the sexual abuse and hopefully protect other children he could come in contact with. Since I didn't take action as a child I have no medical records or police records. The first therapist I saw wasn't until I was 18 and he's now deceased. If I can't build a case to press charges for sexual abuse now, how can I build a case to prove I'm not lying? How do people like
Elisabeth Corey manage to publish anything then? How do people become
speakers for RAINN without being sued for defamation?