Online Defamation in New York – Build a Defamation Claim

Our client operated a growing online retail business that relied heavily on digital marketing and product-promotion videos.

As the business expanded, visibility increased across multiple platforms, and the client’s promotional videos received hundreds of comments.

Among these comments were repeated false statements, personal attacks, and misleading claims designed to damage the client’s business reputation.

The volume of comments increased rapidly, making manual documentation impossible.

The client sought our New York law firm’s assistance to preserve evidence of online defamation and initiate an appropriate legal response.

Our attorneys explained that online defamation in New York is addressed through civil litigation rather than criminal prosecution.

To succeed in a civil action, a plaintiff must prove publication of a false factual statement, communication to a third party, negligence at minimum, and reputational harm.

Because expressions of opinion, satire, and exaggerated statements may be protected speech in New York, our attorneys carefully reviewed each comment to distinguish between actionable online defamation and protected expression.

Our firm coordinated a detailed forensic review to collect screenshots, metadata, timestamps, user identifiers, and comment histories across all relevant platforms.

The forensic analysis revealed that several accounts repeatedly posted harmful statements targeting the client, suggesting a coordinated effort to damage the business.

Our attorneys used metadata and platform logs to document each instance of online defamation, creating a clear and organized evidentiary record.

This digital-evidence package later formed the foundation of the client’s civil claim.

Using the compiled evidence, our New York online defamation attorneys prepared a detailed civil complaint suitable for filing in New York courts.

The complaint described the false statements, the number of defamatory postings, and the specific harm to the client’s reputation and business performance.

The client also reported emotional stress, sleep disruption, and anxiety resulting from the persistent defamatory comments, and our attorneys included these details to support damages.

The complaint identified the responsible online accounts and sought further discovery to confirm identity where anonymity was present.

Our firm structured the filing to meet the rigorous pleading standards applied to online defamation claims in New York.