Defamation/Invasion of Privacy

Invasion of privacy takes four main forms under Maryland law: False Light, Unreasonable Publicity to Private Life, Intrusion upon Seclusion, and Appropriation of Name or Image. The legal elements that must be proved for each vary significantly, however, if personal and/or sensitive information of yours has been published to the others, if images of you have been used or published without your consent, if false and defamatory information has been published to others about you, or if your privacy has been intruded upon in a highly offensive manner, you may have a viable invasion of privacy claim.

Defamation Law is one of the more complex areas of civil law. Defamation is generally defined as a false statement made/published by one person that exposes another person to scorn, hatred, contempt, or ridicule. However, the applicable legal standards are not so straightforward, and the potential defenses to a defamation claim as well as the standards for the recovery of damages can be complicated. Thus, whether a viable defamation claim/defense exists depends on the facts and circumstances of each individual situation/case.