Andrew’s business rival posts false statements about him and his company online. Andrew loses some customers and advertisers due to this negative impact on his reputation. What tort law has the rival broken?
The business rival has potentially committed the tort of defamation. Defamation refers to a false statement that harms a person's reputation, which is published to a third party and causes damage to the individual or their business. In this scenario, the false statements posted by the rival online have negatively impacted Andrew's reputation, causing him to lose customers and advertisers. Therefore, the rival may be held legally responsible for defamation.
