Writing true-life stories can subject authors to a “minefield” of potential risks, says Greg Victoroff, Esq., partner at Greg Victoroff & Associates. There are a couple laws and rights to keep in mind. Libel laws protect people against defamation, which is an untrue statement that subjects someone to embarrassment or hatred from society. Memoirists should take special care to ensure their words could not be misinterpreted to say one thing when they mean another. Privacy rights are another issue. If you publicly disclose a private fact about someone, this can result in legal liability for you. Remember to be careful when writing a memoir, and discuss what you're going to write with the people you are writing about.
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Hi Mr. Victoroff, I wrote an autobiography. Will I be held responsible for something that happened 40 years ago?
thank you so much Greg I am immediately changing my book re life journey to fiction. thank you