united-states libel
Would it by libel if I told someone one of their friends is a thief?
<p>Considering US law in general -</p>
<p>An associate (call him Patrick) stole a fair bit of money over several years.  I eventually severed all business relations and blocked Patrick on all platforms.  I have no wish to spend my valuable life pursuing him in courts.</p>
<p>I keep getting invitations on LinkedIn *as an example) from people whose first few contacts are Patrick. It may be that Patrick is using fake accounts to try and associate with me. But even if these are genuine profiles, would it be libel if I just told them that 'I dont want to associate with friends of a thief'.</p>
<p>I won't be identifying who that person is.  But if they know Patrick well enough they will know who I mean.</p>

<p>If your statement is true, it is not libel. But if it is false, it is libel. It does not matter if you directly name him, what matters is if he can be specifically identified by others. Not <em>all</em> others, but at least <em>some</em> others.</p>
