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I believe the line is drawn based on intent. Talking behind a person’s back to vent out some frustration is not considering defamation. Spreading lies with the intent of ruining the reputation (both on social media or in person), or in general causing harm is defamation.
But I am in no way qualified to give that answer, so I hope someone more knowledgeable could correct me.
Oh absolutely. The article is very vague, but his behaviour seems quite fishy, based on the little information we have…