Landscape Architect Registration Examination (LARE) 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The legal principle involved when an untrue statement is published that damages a person's reputation is defamation. Defamation specifically refers to the wrongful act of making false statements about someone that harm their reputation. This category of law includes both slander (spoken defamation) and libel (written defamation).

When discussing defamation, the focus is on the impact of the false statement on the individual's character and public image. For an action to be classified as defamation, certain elements must be present, including the statement being untrue, published to a third party, and having caused actual harm to the person's reputation.

In contrast, negligence pertains to a failure to take reasonable care that results in damage or injury to another party, but it does not specifically address the impact on reputation. Tort refers to a broader category of civil wrongs that may result in personal injury or financial loss, while malpractice specifically refers to negligence by professionals in their duties that lead to damages. Each of these other legal principles represents different aspects of the law and does not directly encapsulate the specific notion of reputational harm as defamation does.