<Li> Slander per - se: is an exception to Slander (presume general damages). Slander per - se states that an individual has: 1 . A loathsome disease, 2 . Business improprieties, 3 . Committed a crime or have been in prison for a crime, 4 . Committed sexual improprieties / impotent . </Li> <P> In addition to the above, the defendant may claim that the allegedly defamatory statement is not actually capable of being defamatory--an insulting statement that does not actually harm someone's reputation is prima facie not libelous . Also, the public figure doctrine, also called the absence of malice rule, may be used as a defense . </P> <P> In the United States, special rules apply in the case of statements made in the press concerning public figures, which can be used as a defense . A series of court rulings led by New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254 (1964) established that for a public official (or other legitimate public figure) to win a libel case in the United States, the statement must have been published knowing it to be false or with reckless disregard to its truth (also known as actual malice). </P> <P> Under United States law, libel generally requires five key elements: the plaintiff must prove that the information was published, the plaintiff was directly or indirectly identified, the remarks were defamatory towards the plaintiff's reputation, the published information is false, and that the defendant is at fault . </P>

Defamation can be a civil or criminal action in china