What to Do If Someone Is Spreading Lies About You
Learning that someone is saying false things about you is upsetting. The first job is to save an exact record before it changes or vanishes.
- Screenshots first. Get the review or message with its timestamp, the profile name, the web address and any shares.
- Context counts. Scroll up and down and save everything around the worst line.
- Write down spoken statements. Who said it, who heard it, when and where, while it is fresh.
- Track the fallout. Emails from customers who canceled, a note from your employer, messages from people who heard it.
- Pause before replying. Anger tends to make it worse.
- Leave your own posts up for now. Deleting them is something to raise with a lawyer.
- Hold off on sending a demand letter. Many people speak with a lawyer first.
Back up the files somewhere besides your phone. Libel and slander lawsuits generally must be filed within two years, so the dates matter.3
How It Happens in Greenville
In a growing area where people know each other through work, church and neighborhood groups, a false post or a rumor can spread fast. It might be a review aimed at a small business on Main Street, a claim passed around a workplace, or a post in a Greer or Simpsonville community group.
What Counts as Defamation
Defamation generally involves a false statement of fact, communicated to someone other than the person it concerns, that harms the person's reputation. Written defamation is usually called libel, and spoken defamation is called slander.4
A South Carolina claim generally requires a false statement that harms reputation, communication of it to another person without legal privilege, fault by the speaker or publisher, and legally recognized harm or a statement actionable without proof of special harm.1 Certain statements, like some false accusations of serious crimes, may allow damages to be presumed.2
Public officials and public figures generally must show the speaker knew the statement was false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. Some employment-related statements and statements in court proceedings may also be privileged.5
See our statewide defamation page. When a soured sale or contract is behind the false claims, read about consumer protection in Greenville.
Want someone to look at your situation?
Talk with our team about what happened and ask the questions on your mind.
Talk With Us
A reputation takes years to build, and we take false statements about you seriously. We start by hearing what was said and what changed afterward, and we're honest about weak spots.
Our office is on King Street in downtown Charleston. The first conversation can happen by phone. We take cases across South Carolina, including Greenville and the Upstate.
Call, and send us the post or your notes on what was said.
South Carolina Law on This
- A defamation claim in South Carolina generally requires a false statement that harms someone's reputation, communication of that statement to another person without legal privilege, fault by the person making or publishing it, and legally recognized harm or a statement that is actionable without proof of special harm.1
- Whether a defamation plaintiff must prove specific financial losses depends on the type of statement and the circumstances. South Carolina recognizes defamation per se, in which general damages may be presumed, subject to constitutional limits; certain false statements accusing someone of serious criminal conduct or of conduct incompatible with their profession can qualify. Lost customers, canceled contracts, reduced sales and other documented losses can help establish damages.2
- South Carolina generally requires libel and slander lawsuits to be filed within two years. When that period begins can depend on when and how the statement was published or communicated, and discovering an old online post does not necessarily start a new two-year period. This is different from the three-year period that applies to most South Carolina personal injury claims.3
- Defamation generally involves a false statement of fact, communicated to someone other than the person it concerns, that harms the person's reputation. Written or published defamation is commonly called libel, and spoken defamation is called slander. Not every negative statement, insult or unfavorable review is defamatory: truth is generally a defense, and statements of opinion that do not imply false, provable facts may be protected.4
- Public officials and public figures generally must show constitutional actual malice, meaning the speaker knew the statement was false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. Certain communications, including some employment-related statements and statements made in judicial proceedings, may also be protected by privileges.5
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I answer the post in the neighborhood group?
Firing back in the comments often pours fuel on it, and your words stay up for everyone to screenshot. Grab copies of the post and replies before anything else. A lawyer can help you weigh whether any public answer is wise.
The account is anonymous. What can I do?
Save the post, the account name, the link and the date, along with anything that hints at who runs the account. Whether that person can be identified depends on the facts and the platform.
The statement cost my business customers. Does that matter?
Yes. Lost customers, canceled contracts, reduced sales and other documented losses can help establish damages. For some statements, such as certain false accusations of serious crimes or of conduct incompatible with a profession, damages may be presumed.2
Can I sue over anything false someone says about me?
I just found a post from a while ago. Does my time start now?
Not necessarily. When the two-year period begins can depend on when and how the statement was published, and finding an old post does not necessarily start a new period.3
Sources
- Holtzscheiter v. Thomson Newspapers, Inc., 332 S.C. 502, 506 S.E.2d 497 (1998); Erickson v. Jones Street Publishers, 368 S.C. 444, 629 S.E.2d 653 (2006)
- Erickson v. Jones Street Publishers, 368 S.C. 444, 629 S.E.2d 653 (2006)
- S.C. Code § 15-3-550(1)
- Holtzscheiter v. Thomson Newspapers, Inc., 332 S.C. 502, 506 S.E.2d 497 (1998); Sean Hall's Nov 5 review
- Crowell v. Herring, 301 S.C. 424 (Ct. App. 1990); Boone v. Sunbelt Newspapers, Inc., 347 S.C. 571 (Ct. App. 2001); New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254 (1964)
This page is general information about South Carolina law, not legal advice for your situation. Every case depends on its own facts.
