Libel is a term that means defamation through written or pictorial means. It is different from slander, which is verbal defamation. Generally, people who find themselves defamed write a cease and desist letter for libel to the person or company publishing the defamatory comments. A cease and desist letter tells the other party to stop publishing the comments immediately, or face a lawsuit.US
. Legal Forms, online at http://www.uslegalforms.com/us/US-00423BG.htm, offers state specific cease and desist letters for sale. Anyone can also view a free sample, which can serve as a template for anyone wanting to write their own letter. For many people, this site is less expensive than hiring a personal attorney to handle writing and delivering the letter.The Twin Cities Law Firm, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has a free cease and desist letter template online at http://www.aaronhall.com/blog/cease-desist-letter-template-example-sample-form/. This template is designed for use to stop copyright infringement, but it can get altered to stop libel and other legal issues. The site does recommend having an attorney look over the final letter prior to sending it out to the party committing libel. The law firm also recommends having an attorney send the letter out as it generally carries more legal weight when an attorney sends a letter compared to having a regular person mail it. The letter also includes a form for the other party to fill out stating that they agree to immediately cease and desist publishing the libelous material.If this letter is ignored by the other party, then further legal action is usually taken, such as filing charges of harassment or defamation in court. The cease and desist letter is the first step in getting someone to stop publishing libelous material, and it is often the only legal action needed to end the defamation in most instances. More reference links: http://www.uslegalforms.com/us/US-00423BG.htm http://www.aaronhall.com/blog/cease-desist-letter-template-example-sample-form/
