House Bill No. 522

Introduced By _______________________________________________________________________________

A Bill for an Act entitled: "An Act revising the law relating to libel and slander to include as libel or slander the untrue accusation of a violation of a law resulting in a threat to public health, safety, or the environment; and amending sections 27-1-802 and 27-1-803, MCA."

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Montana:

Section 1.  Section 27-1-802, MCA, is amended to read:

"27-1-802.   Libel defined. Libel is a false and unprivileged publication by writing, printing, picture, effigy, or other fixed representation to the eye which that:

(1) exposes any person to hatred, contempt, ridicule, or obloquy or which;

(2) causes him the person to be shunned or avoided or which;

(3) charges any person with the violation of laws or regulations resulting in a threat to public health, safety, or the environment; or

(4) has a tendency to injure him the person in his the person's occupation."

Section 2.  Section 27-1-803, MCA, is amended to read:

"27-1-803.   Slander defined. Slander is a false and unprivileged publication other than libel which that:

(1)  charges any person with crime or with having been indicted, convicted, or punished for crime;

(2) charges any person with the violation of laws or regulations resulting in a threat to public health, safety, or the environment;

(2)(3)  imputes in him the person the present existence of an infectious, contagious, or loathsome disease;

(3)(4)  tends directly to injure him the person in respect to his the person's office, profession, trade, or business, either by imputing to him the person general disqualification in those respects which that the office or other occupation peculiarly requires or by imputing something with reference to his the person's office, profession, trade, or business that has a natural tendency to lessen its profit;

(4)(5)  imputes to him the person impotence or want of chastity; or

(5)(6)  by natural consequence causes actual damage."

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