Libel
Posted August 25th, 2008 by OgreCategories: (ex)Wife
Since my ex threatened me with a libel suit, I thought I’d save her the bother of filing a case and wasting her money by pointing out why she would lose such a case. There are many defenses against a libel suit. I’ll cover the ones that apply to me.
Truth is an absolute defense in the United States. Everything I’ve stated on this blog is the truth. The last time she made her threat I asked her to point out anything that was untrue. She never bothered to respond as she knows I have not been lying.
Statements made in a good faith and reasonable belief that they were true are generally treated the same as true statements. If, by some miracle, I did make a false statement (which has yet to be proven), my strong belief that I am stating the truth is a defense.
Opinion is a defense recognized in nearly every jurisdiction. My blog is my opinion. That’s part of the very definition of a blog.
In the particular post that set my ex off was when I accused her of theft, note the wording, “Given the circumstances, I must conclude that my ex-wife, Ildiko Weinberger, took them.” The specific circumstances were her completely ignoring several requests that she return the ring and drawing, which were in her possession at the time of our separation. She did not deny having them. She did not acknowledge having them. She simply did not respond.
I did not wish to shame her in public. I’ve kept this blog completely anonymous up until now to protect her and my stepdaughter. In an email she sent after I made the post, she had this to say, “I promise you I will return your ring as soon as it turns up.” She could have said that the first time I inquired about the ring and avoided this whole mess. She forced my hand.
Addendum: It’s been about six months and I’ve heard nothing about the two items she was supposed to return. She has since packed up and moved to another city. Her excuse of not knowing where they were is rather hard to believe since they should have turned up in the process of packing.
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