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A public figure is a person who has achieved fame, prominence or notoriety within a society,[1] whether through achievement, luck, action, or in some cases through no purposeful action of their own.[2]
In the context of defamation actions (libel and slander) as well as invasion of privacy, a public figure cannot succeed in a lawsuit on incorrect harmful statements in the United States unless there is proof that the writer or publisher acted with actual malice by knowing the falsity or by reckless disregard for the truth.[3] The legal burden of proof in defamation actions is thus higher in the case of a public figure than in the case of an ordinary person.
Libel laws vary considerably on this matter from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Even within a cultural grouping, the libel laws of the UK are quite different from those in the US, for example.
- ^ Wise, Richard M. (1 January 1983). "The Athlete as Public Figure in Light of Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc., or Torts in Sports: The Role of the Cour". Hastings Communications and Entertainment Law Journal. 6 (2): 326.
- ^ Fliegel, Rod M. (January 1992). "Newton v. National Broadcasting Co., Inc.: Evidence of Actual Malice, the Editorial Process and the Mafia in Public Figure Defamation Law". Golden Gate University Law Review. 22 (1): 235.
- ^ Shiffrin, Steven H. (2006). The First Amendment. St. Paul, MN: Thomson/ West. pp. 58–60. ISBN 978-0-314-16256-4.