MLchartDataset catalogue

Fair comment

Term · Law · MLC-T-LAW-002033

A common law defense to a defamation claim that protects honest expressions of opinion or criticism on matters of public interest, such as reviews of public performances or comment on the conduct of officials. The opinion must rest on true or privileged facts, and the defense fails if the speaker acted with malice, meaning spite or an improper motive. In the United States, First Amendment limits on defamation liability have largely overtaken it.

Table 1. Record
IdentifierMLC-T-LAW-002033
FieldLaw
Record as JSON 
{
  "id": "MLC-T-LAW-002033",
  "term": "Fair comment",
  "field": "Law",
  "definition": "A common law defense to a defamation claim that protects honest expressions of opinion or criticism on matters of public interest, such as reviews of public performances or comment on the conduct of officials. The opinion must rest on true or privileged facts, and the defense fails if the speaker acted with malice, meaning spite or an improper motive. In the United States, First Amendment limits on defamation liability have largely overtaken it.",
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/law/fair-comment/"
}

Record 1,931 of 5,439 in Law terminology (MLC-0107). Request the full dataset.