Americans have embraced their precious pets as tight as toddlers do their favorite stuffed animal. These fur babies have become integral to many people's lives, with dogs traveling everywhere with their owners, having their own beds, blankets, and coats, and being fawned over and treated as much as newborns. According to the National Pet Owners Survey from 2017, 60% of US households own dogs and 4…Read More
We briefly touched on the fact that the internet can seem like the Wild West of the late 1800s where anything goes with not many repercussions. However, there are laws in place to protect you against internet defamation; however, it's exceedingly hard to do with anonymous IP addresses and the like. Tate Bywater believes in the United States Constitution and our right to free speech. However, we al…Read More
In our on-going blog series on defamation, we've been mainly talking about individual defamation, slander, and libel, which is where someone says an untruth about you that causes you harm in some way. But what about businesses? How are they protected from disparagement if people say untruths about them? After all, businesses can lose money as well and can even be put out of business. So what do yo…Read More
Getting your home renovated can be an exhilarating experience. But be cautious and enter the situation with care because when things go wrong, they can often go very wrong. Follow this advice to avoid problems in the first place: Always Set Clear Expectations Lay out clear expectations for the contractor of what you want as your end goal. You likely have a vision in your head of how you want thing…Read More
Defamation is something that happens every day around the world somewhere; just most of it goes unnoticed or is ignored. For the most part, this is probably for the best. After all, sometimes it's just better to let things go because you have better things to do in your life, like watching your son's soccer game or your daughter's gymnastics competition. However, sometimes if your reputation is da…Read More
When someone speaks ill of you, it can be hurtful, especially if it's not true. Many of us have experienced this since childhood, where what was an innocent or malicious comment blew up to impact your social life in school. The unfortunate reality is that many people suffer from defamation in their lives and don't do anything about it, mainly because they just don't know that there are legal optio…Read More
As we've mentioned in our previous blog posts, defamation is extremely hard to prove in the United States because of our First Amendment rights. That being said, with a top law firm on your side, you have a much better chance of prevailing, or, on the flip side, of being defended. Tate Bywater has been proudly serving the people of Prince William County with top law services for close to 50 years.…Read More
Defamation is when someone speaks falsely about someone else, either verbally (slander) or in print (libel), that causes harm to someone else. Other words for defamation may be used, such as character assassination, disparagement (mostly used for businesses), traducement, vilification, or calumny. You may rarely hear famacide, which is someone who destroys someone else's reputation. Defamation is …Read More
For over 20 years, social media, which is websites or applications that allow users to create and share content with friends, family, and whoever else is interested, is here to stay. From Facebook to Twitter and Instagram, social media is increasingly becoming a way many people also get their news and information. However, not all news and information on social media is vetted, meaning a lot of wh…Read More
Is it possible to persuade the prosecutor to change his or her mind and not prosecute you after you have been charged with a crime? If you suspect that you may be charged, is it possible to persuade the prosecutor not to bring charges? The answer is "yes" to both questions, but don't count on it. However, I am convinced that in many cases a major effort to convince the prosecutor not to proceed is…Read More
