You MIGHT be posting from CA.
Here is the CA law that addresses your query.
A statement must be unprivileged to be actionable as defamation. This is also to say that a showing of privileged communication is a defense to a defamation lawsuit.
California courts have codified several privileged communications in Cal. Civ. Code § 47.
Law section
According to this section, some examples of privileged publications include publications made:
In the proper discharge of an official duty:
In a legislative or judicial proceeding;
By a fair and true report in, or a communication to, a public journal of a judicial, legislative, or another public official proceeding;
and,
A communication, without malice, to a person interested therein, (1) by one who is also interested, or (2) by one who stands in such a relation to the person interested as to afford a reasonable ground for supposing the motive for the communication to be innocent, or (3) who is requested by the person interested to give the information.
The last example is known as the common interest privilege and it is a conditional privilege because it only applies to "communication without malice." The privilege is lost if the publication was actuated by malice. Once the defense has demonstrated that the qualified privilege applies, the plaintiff has the burden of defeating it by showing malice.
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If you are posting from MI, here is the applicable MI law applicable to your query.
There are two types of privileged statements: absolute and qualified.
Absolute = Absolute privilege is awarded when a person's complete statement is needed in order to understand a situation. With absolute privilege comes absolute assumption that what is said or written cannot incur the risk of punishment or legal action for defamation.
Qualified = Qualified privilege pertains to subject matter that is of public concern or is of sufficient importance that communicating freely is critical. Newspapers that report on government malfeasance, for example, can claim qualified privilege as their statements must not be hindered by potential defamation risks when reporting stories of public importance.
Within the courtroom, most statements are covered under absolute privilege.
Witnesses = In any deposition or trial, a witness giving a statement must be able to speak his/her mind freely without fear of reprisal. As such, his/her statement is protected by the absolute privilege rule. For example, if a witness makes a statement that is untrue and malicious, the witness will be immune to a lawsuit for defamation; however, this privilege does not protect him from perjury laws or being held in contempt.
Judges = Judges are immune from defamation suits in part from absolute privilege as well as judicial immunity, which provides the judge to act diligently and impartially, without fear of being sued when conducting official business.
Court reporters. Whether directly transcribing courtroom audio and defamatory statements, or mishearing a statement and accidentally recording a defamatory statement, a court reporter is also subject to absolute privilege. Therefore, if a court reporter puts a slanderous remark in the record, she cannot be held responsible for a libel suit, as the statement was not hers nor made with malicious intent. It's important to note that privilege does not excuse transcribing inaccuracy, and the reporter may be subject to career penalties.
Attorneys. In order for an attorney to do his job, he needs to paint a picture for the judge and jury, which would be impossible to do if he is forced to paint around defamatory statements. As such, for the most part, if an attorney is preparing or actively involved in litigation on behalf of a client, he will be considered privileged. However, if an attorney knowingly slanders a client or other attorney outside the courtroom or after a trial, he may be subject to a defamation lawsuit.
Proving Slander
If you are wondering whether you can sue for slander and recover damages, consider that you would generally have to prove the following to have a case:
1. Someone Made a Defamatory Statement to a Third Party
A defamatory statement generally refers to any communication that significantly harms your reputation and deters others from associating or doing business with you.
2. The Statement Is Not Privileged
You would
not be able to sue if the statement in question was made under privilege, for example, in the following situations:
Witnesses testifying in court
Statements made between clients and their attorneys
Comments made between spouses
Legislators discussing the information during debates
3. The Slanderous Statement Is False
To have a case for defamation, the statement made against you must be false, and the defendant acted negligently or maliciously in making the slanderous comments. A true statement, even if it significantly taints your reputation, does not qualify as defamation. Likewise, someone expressing an opinion that could damage your reputation is typically not considered slander.
4. The Statement Is "Published"
In this instance, "published" includes verbal defamatory statements as long as the slanderous statement was communicated to a third person or persons. A conversation between two individuals that others could overhear can potentially also qualify for a slander lawsuit.
5. You Suffered Harm
Unless the damaging statement qualifies as slander per se, you have to show that you were harmed emotionally, financially, or in other ways. Examples of harm caused by slander can include:
Losing your job
Suffering shame and humiliation
Getting harassed by the media
Failing relationships with family and friends
Losing business revenue