In a defamation lawsuit, what must the plaintiff demonstrate regarding the statement made?

In a defamation lawsuit, the plaintiff must demonstrate that the statement in question was communicated to a third party. This requirement is essential because defamation involves harm to a person's reputation that occurs as a result of false statements being made about them to others. If the statement is not shared with anyone other than the person it is about, then there has been no damage to that person’s reputation in the eyes of the public, which is a crucial element for a defamation claim.

The other choices do not accurately capture the core requirement for establishing defamation. While intent to harm is relevant in some cases, particularly for proving malice in claims involving public figures, it is not a necessary element in every defamation case. Furthermore, defamation can take the form of both spoken (slander) and written (libel) statements; therefore, the method of communication is not determinative of whether a statement is defamatory. Lastly, if a statement is made in a private conversation, it generally does not meet the criteria of public dissemination needed for a defamation claim to succeed. Thus, the emphasis on communication to a third party is key to establishing the foundation for a defamation lawsuit.