Legal Definition and Related Resources of Absolute Privilege

In a libel action an absolute privilege provides immunity to the defendant irrespective of his purpose, motive or reasonableness of his conduct while qualified privilege is conditional upon absence of malice and cannot be lost by abuse

Browse or run a search for Absolute Privilege in the American Encyclopedia of Law, the Asian Encyclopedia of Law, the European Encyclopedia of Law, the UK Encyclopedia of Law or the Latin American and Spanish Encyclopedia of Law.

Absolute Privilege in Historical Law

You might be interested in the historical meaning of this term. Browse or search for Absolute Privilege in Historical Law in the Encyclopedia of Law.

Search for legal acronyms and/or abbreviations containing Absolute Privilege in the Legal Abbreviations and Acronyms Dictionary.

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What does Absolute privilege mean in American Law?

The definition of Absolute privilege in the law of the United States, as defined by the lexicographer Arthur Leff in his legal dictionary is:

In the law of defamation, a total immunity to liability on account of written or spoken words, even if knowingly and intentionally false, and communicated with malice. Examples include statements by judges in the course of judicial proceedings, and by Congressmen during legislative proceedings.

Absolute privilege in Law Enforcement

Main Entry: Law Enforcement in the Legal Dictionary. This section provides, in the context of Law Enforcement, a partial definition of absolute privilege.

Resources

See Also

• Law Enforcement Officer
• Police Officer
• Law Enforcement Agency

Further Reading

• absolute privilege in A Dictionary of Law Enforcement (Oxford University Press)
• absolute privilege in the Encyclopedia of Law Enforcement
• A Treatise on the Police of the Metropolis

English Legal System: Absolute Privilege

In the context of the English law, A Dictionary of Law provides the following legal concept of Absolute Privilege : The defence that a statement cannot be made the subject of an action for *defamation because it was made in Parliament, in papers ordered to be published by either House of Parliament, in judicial proceedings or a fair and accurate newspaper or broadcast report of judicial proceedings, or in an official communication between certain officers of state. Under the Defamation Act 1996, the defence is also available for those reporting proceedings of the European Court of Justice. Under certain circumstances defined by the 1996 Act the absolute privilege accorded to statements or proceedings in Parliament may be waived (waiver of privilege) to permit evidence to be adduced in an action for defamation.

Compare qualified privilege.

Meaning of Absolute Privilege

Resources

See Also