Today someone went to ripoffreport.com and made two postings that I am a convicted child molester.

This is pretty horrific. You should speak with a Personal Injury Attorney immediately. Here are the basics on Defamation: Defamation is a false statement of fact against an individual’s character or reputation, either intentionally or negligently published to a third person, holding the defamed person up to ridicule, contempt, hatred, shame, or disgrace. There are two types of defamation: Slander and Libel. Slander is an untrue spoken statement about a person that harms their reputation and standing in their community. A person injured by slander can bring a civil lawsuit against the party that made the false statement. Where a person is defamed in writing, it is called libel. Libel also includes television broadcasts. In many ways libel is more serious because it is more likely to reach a far greater audience. In New York a libeled person’s damages are presumed because the defamatory statement is preserved for a greater period of time. It is important to note that the statute of limitations for defamation is different in each state. A statute of limitations is the time that a civil or criminal action must be brought forward. The limitations period begins when a defamatory statement is communicated to someone other than the plaintiff. For instance, in New York, New Jersey, and California the statute of limitations is one year. However, in Washington and Indiana it is two years. Because the time to bring an action defamation is shorter than a negligence action, it is imperative that a person who believes they have been defamed speak with an attorney immediately. I assisted my brother in writing several articles on this topic. Two of them are listed below: (1) http://www.suite101.com/content/defaming-the-in... (2) http://www.suite101.com/content/will-justice-be... I wish you the best of luck. If you found this helpful I would appreciate your clicking the "thumbs up" below. Legal Disclaimer: Mr. Pascale is licensed to practice law in the State of New York. The response herein is not legal advice and does not create an attorney/client relationship. The response is in the form of legal education and is intended to provide general information about the matter within the question. Oftentimes the question does not include significant and important facts and time-lines that, if known, could significantly change the reply and make it unsuitable. Mr. Pascale strongly advises the questioner to confer with an attorney in their state in order to insure proper advice is received.

Subpoena the IP address. Go after the customer's homeowner's insurance policy.

It may be civilly actionable. You should consult with an experienced personal injury attorney.

You should save snapshots of these postings and consult with a personal injury attorney in your area. Assuming the postings are not true, they are clearly defamation per se and you may well be entitled to punitive damages. Do not delay in seeking counsel, as these types of rumors can spread quickly and be devastating. Legal Disclaimer : Mr. Lundeen is licensed to practice law in Florida and Vermont. The response herein is not legal advice and does not create an attorney/client relationship. The response is in the form of legal education and is intended to provide general information about the matter within the question. Oftentimes the question does not include significant and important facts and timelines that, if known, could significantly change the reply and make it unsuitable. Mr. Lundeen strongly advises the questioner to confer with an attorney in your state in order to ensure proper advice is received.