DISPARAGEMENT
In old ENGLISH LAW, an injury resulting from the
comparison of a person or thing with an individ-
ual or thing of inferior quality; to discredit oneself
by marriage below one’s class. A statement made
by one person that casts aspersions on another per-
son’s goods, property, or intangible things.
In TORTS, a considerable body of law has
come about concerning interference with busi-
ness or economic relations. The TORT of injuri-
ous falsehood, or disparagement, is concerned
with the publication of derogatory information
about a person’s title to his or her property, to
his or her business in general, or anything else
made for the purpose of discouraging people
from dealing with the individual. Generally, if
the aspersions are cast upon the quality of what
the person has to sell, or the person’s business
itself, proof of damages is essential.
Disparagement of goods is a false or mislead-
ing statement by an entrepreneur about a com-
petitor’s goods. It is made with the intention of
influencing people adversely so they will not buy
the goods.
Disparagement of title is a false or malicious
statement made about an individual’s title to
real or PERSONAL PROPERTY. Such disparage-
ment may result in a pecuniary loss due to
impairment of vendibility that the defamatory
statements might cause.
CROSS-REFERENCES
