Defamation per se is satisfied when the statement includes which type of content?

• A. Accusation that the subject committed a crime.
• B. A merely rude statement.
• C. A statement about fashion sense.
• D. A statement made about a private individual only.

Answer: (A)

Defamation per se describes statements that are inherently harmful to a person’s reputation, so damages are presumed and the plaintiff doesn’t need to prove actual harm. The clearest example is asserting that someone committed a crime. That kind of factual accusation is damaging on its face, which is why it falls under defamation per se.

The other options don’t fit this category because a mere rude remark, a comment about fashion sense, or a statement about a private individual’s status doesn’t convey an automatically defamatory crime or wrongdoing. They may be offensive or objectionable, but they’re not the kind of inherently harmful accusation that per se defamation covers.