Legal Definitions - injurious falsehood

Definition: Injurious falsehood is a type of defamation that involves making false statements about a person or business that cause harm to their reputation or financial standing. There are two types of injurious falsehood:

1. Disparagement: Making false statements about a person or business that cause harm to their reputation.
2. Trade Disparagement: Making false statements about a business's products or services that cause harm to their financial standing.

Examples:

• A restaurant owner spreads false rumors that a competitor's food is contaminated, causing customers to avoid the competitor's restaurant and resulting in financial harm.
• A company spreads false information about a competitor's product, claiming it is unsafe and causing customers to avoid buying it, resulting in financial harm to the competitor.

These examples illustrate how injurious falsehood can cause harm to a person or business's reputation or financial standing. It is important to be truthful and avoid making false statements that could harm others.