One of two forms of defamation, libel refers to the making of false, derogatory statements about another person which has often caused lawsuits in the past. Mostly, libel mirrors the same concepts of its counterpart, slander, excluding the fact that libel only applies to written words, whereas slander applies to spoken words. In either type, there are generally a few components that must take place in order for an instance to be considered defamation by a court. First, the statement(s) made about the plaintiff must have been false — there is no legal wrong in speaking the truth, even if it harms another person. Also, it is required that the instance of libel or somehow published, whether in a newspaper or magazine or online. Lastly, the claim cannot be considered unless damages of some kind have been suffered by the plaintiff. If these can be proved true, the plaintiff may be able to successfully sue for libel, possibly recovering both punitive and compensatory damages.