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Rihanna Sued for Defamation by Former Bodyguard
Author: Scarinci Hollenbeck, LLC
Date: May 16, 2014
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Rihanna is known for her chart-topping hit songs, such as “Umbrella” and “What’s My Name,” but the pop singer has found herself in legal trouble, as her former bodyguard is suing for defamation.
Geoffrey Keating claims the popstar made “nauseatingly offensive” and false statements about him in an email sent to him and his wife as well as in a phone call to his sister. Keating is seeking damages and wants Rihanna to publish a correction of the alleged defamation.
If Keating wants to be successful, he needs to prove the following four elements of a defamation lawsuit:
- A false statement of fact was made about a person or company. Keating claims the statements made in the email and phone call were not true, but he has to be able to prove that in court.
- The false statement must have been published. This could be difficult to prove, as it was only sent in an email to Keating and his wife, and in a phone call to his sister.
- The false statement has to have been negligently made without reason to believe it was factually correct. For example, Rihanna must have made the false statement without an attempt to prove it was factual.
- The false statement must have caused damage – mental or physical. Keating has to either have suffered emotional or monetary damages as a result of the statement, which is possible. For instance, Rihanna could have falsely claimed he cheated on his wife, which led to the end of his marriage.
Rihanna is a major public figure and so it will be interesting to see if Keating is able to win a difficult defamation case against the pop singer.
- Industries: Entertainment & Media
- Locations: Red Bank, NJ, New York City, Little Falls, NJ
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