The five elements of defamation make up what constitutes a defamation case and the types of evidence a plaintiff will need to present before a judge. Here is the checklist:

1. a publicly made statement about someone;
2. the statement is false;
3. a name attached to the person whom the false statement is about;
4. the false statement damaged the person’s reputation;
5. sufficient evidence that all the above are, in fact, true, and the defendant is guilty of defamation.