[mbyron]

Windy, in the U.S. it is the plaintiff charging libel or slander who must prove in court three things: (1) that statements by the defendant are false; (2) that the defendant published those statements knowing that they were false and with intent to damage the plaintiff; and (3) that the defendant has in fact been damaged by the false information. This heavy burden of proof is firmly on the plaintiff. In Britain, the reverse obtains: there, the accused must prove that the information is true. Maybe you should stick to umpiring instead of legal issues.

And thanks for catching folks' spelling errors. That's a crucial service you provide, and the site wouldn't be the same without it.