Alabama § 6-5-186 Prerequisites to Recovery of Vindictive or Punitive Damages in Action for Libel

Alabama Statutes

§ 6-5-186 — Prerequisites to Recovery of Vindictive or Punitive Damages in Action for Libel

Alabama § 6-5-186

Title 6Civil Practice

Ch. 5Actions

Art. 11Defamation, Libel and Slander

This text of Alabama § 6-5-186 (Prerequisites to Recovery of Vindictive or Punitive Damages in Action for Libel) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Ala. Code § 6-5-186 (2026).

Text

Vindictive or punitive damages shall not be recovered in any action for libel on account of any publication unless (1) it shall be proved that the publication was made by the defendant with knowledge that the matter published was false, or with reckless disregard of whether it was false or not, and (2) it shall be proved that five days before the commencement of the action the plaintiff shall have made written demand upon the defendant for a public retraction of the charge or matter published; and the defendant shall have failed or refused to publish within five days, in as prominent and public a place or manner as the charge or matter published occupied, a full and fair retraction of such charge or matter.

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Vindictive or punitive damages shall not be recovered in any action for libel on account of any publication unless (1) it shall be proved that the publication was made by the defendant with knowledge that the matter published was false, or with reckless disregard of whether it was false or not, and (2) it shall be proved that five days before the commencement of the action the plaintiff shall have made written demand upon the defendant for a public retraction of the charge or matter published; and the defendant shall have failed or refused to publish within five days, in as prominent and public a place or manner as the charge or matter published occupied, a full and fair retraction of such charge or matter.