Which elements must be proven to sustain a defamation claim?

• A. The statement is opinion.
• B. The statement is published only on social media.
• C. False statement presented as fact, published or communicated to others, identification of a defamed party, and damages.
• D. The statement is true but harmful.

Answer: (C)

Defamation hinges on a false statement of fact about a person that is communicated to someone else in a way that identifies the person and causes harm. The best answer captures all those pieces: the statement must be false and presented as a fact (not merely an opinion), it must be published or told to others, it must identify who is harmed, and there must be damages or injury shown. Opinions aren’t typically actionable as defamation because they can’t be proven true or false, and the fact that something is posted on social media doesn’t make it defamation by itself—it’s the combination of falsity, publication to others, identification, and harm that matters. Truthful statements, even if harmful, aren’t defamation.