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Since December, more and more celebrities have found themselves entangled in defamation-related court drama.
(Shes suing Baldoni related to this alleged mistreatment.
Various PR reps are also claiming they were defamed.)
As these cases continue to unfold, other celebrities have decided to defend their reputations in court.
Chris Brown, on January 21,suedWarner Bros.
The rappers suit also accuses this womans attorneys lawyers of misconduct.
So, why are so many stars pursuing defamation cases right now?
And will they pan out?
What exactly does a defamation case entail?
Is this different from libel?
So, if someone says something thats total b.s.
and ruins your reputation you might file a defamation suit.
Libel is the written or permanent form of defamation, per Gutterman.
This includes material published by traditional media, broadcast, or posted in modern or digital media.
How do you prove defamation?
When it comes to celebrities, theres a significant hurdle, he said.
This is a higher burden because public figures tend to have resources to counter false information prior to litigating.
Neama Rahmani, president of West Coast Trial Lawyers and a former federal prosecutor, voiced similar sentiments.
Can you defame someone whos already had major reputational blows, like Brown and Diddy?
Lovell said that it doesnt really matter what their character is.
Diddy doesnt have a choice to walk away, Engelmayer said.
Filing the suit helps get some of that out there.
Do all of these defamation cases reflect some sort of trend?
It certainly looks like it.
I havent seen it rise to this level of hitting back, Lovell said.
Several experts told Vulture that these suits can be part of a savvy media strategy.
A person can deny allegations, but it doesnt get as much press attention as an official legal filing.
Filing paperwork with a court all of a sudden gives grounds for legal coverage, Engelmayer said.
Is the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard case relevant to this trend?
After Heard came forward with domestic-violence allegations against Depp, the actors reputation and career suffered serious blows.
Baldonis career has also taken a hit.
That case has a very high likelihood of going to trial because of the nature of the allegations.
[Baldoni] was canceled.
What are these celebrities saying about their cases?
What about the people theyre suing?
McCathern didnt think that Browns past PR problems undermined a present-day defamation claim.
Chris made a mistake while he was still a teenager that has obviously gotten a lot of publicity.
I think hes done his best to fully own that mistake and give a shot to atone for it.
A rep for Warner Bros. said it stood behind the documentary and will vigorously defend ourselves against this lawsuit.
NBCUniversal did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tony Buzbee did not immediately respond to Vultures request for comment on Jay-Zs suit.
Baldoni, Lively, and others implicated in the many suits have insisted they didnt engage in wrongdoing.
