What does it really take to slander or libel someone? The law of defamation can be complex, but a New York state court recently tried to sort out this weighty issue: What is a “dirtbag,” and is the term defamatory? The issue arose after a man named William Schumacher penned comments that another man, John Acheson, was “the biggest dirtbag” he had ever met in his life. Acheson sued Schumacher before Westchester City Court in what, amusingly, could become a seminal case of black letter law. Apparently, no other U.S. court has ever issued a reported decision on the issue of whether it is defamatory to call someone a “dirtbag.”

Citing a New York precedent, the court in Acheson v. Schumacher said libel or defamation was “a writing or broadcast that tends to expose the plaintiff to public hatred, contempt, ridicule, or disgrace.” The court went on to cite the five proving elements of the tort, including the truth or falsity of the statement and whether the complaining party actually sustained damages.