Yes, but only under certain conditions. Generally, businesses with fewer than 10 employees that are not related to another company can take legal action for defamation. Our team can help determine whether your business qualifies and assist in protecting your brand’s reputation.

Online defamation is increasingly common and can spread quickly. We can help you issue take-down requests, seek retractions, or pursue damages where necessary. A defamation lawyer can also assist in identifying anonymous posters or securing court orders to remove harmful content from websites and social media platforms.

In most cases, you must commence legal action within one year from the date the defamatory material was published. There are some limited circumstances where this period may be extended. That gives you a fairly short amount of time to prepare and determine if you have in fact got a case. In the world of law, it requires fairly swift action. An easy rule to go by is if you think you have a claim, it’s important to get legal advice as soon as possible. That way you’ll know where you stand and if you need to move quickly to pursue your case and any potential compensation. 

Common defences include truth (justification), honest opinion and qualified privilege. If the statement is substantially true or was expressed as an opinion rather than a fact, it may not be considered defamation. This is where the expertise of our knowledgeable lawyers is important, at this crossroads between free speech or opinion and language intended to harm. Our lawyers can help you build a defence if you’ve been accused of making a defamatory statement.

Yes, if the statement is defamatory, clearly identifies you and was published to a third party. You must also prove that the statement caused or is likely to cause serious harm to your reputation. That’s a key factor of defamation, and one that can often be blurry without the right expert advice. At Lynn & Brown, a defamation lawyer in Perth can assess your case and help you decide if legal action is appropriate and achievable.

Defamation is the act of publishing false statements about a person or business that harm their reputation. It can occur through written words (libel) or spoken words (slander). In WA, defamation claims are governed by the Defamation Act 2005, which outlines your rights to seek compensation or retraction. It can be a delicate form of law, as it requires complex navigation of that crossover between free speech and harmful language that can have real repercussions for an individual or business.