In an action for a libel or a slander, the defendant may allege and prove the truth of the matter charged as defamatory. Proof of the truth thereof shall be a complete defense. In all such actions any mitigating circumstances may be proved to reduce damages.
Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 2739.02
Defenses in actions for libel or slander
Applied in 7 court decisions — leading case Meyers v. City of Cincinnati (1990)
Most recently applied in Larry Green v. Fidelity Investment (March 2010)
Effective: October 1, 1953; Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
Official source: Ohio Laws & Administrative Rules (Legislative Service Commission). Reproduced from public-domain Ohio statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.