Using your example, if people were to sit around a table and read names of closeted actors from a list, there really is nothing to stop them
if the people are truly closeted. In libel (written defaming statements) and slander (spoken defaming statements -- e.g. the table example), the truth is the ultimate defense. However, if they were to read the name of someone and the person could prove that he or she wasn't homosexual, along with proving that the person who said they were had malicious intent in doing so, then he or she could sucessfully win a slander case.
Sorry, I don't mean to sound like a broken record, but I had to do a paper about this in AP Government last year and I'm 100% positive. Many times, writers will refrain from writing true statements to avoid going to court in the first place, because many celebrites will sue despite knowing that they have no real shot of winning a trial.
I seriously hope my legal babbling didn't kill the thread! Carry on, people...
Updated On: 2/6/06 at 11:49 PM