In tort law, what does "defamation" entail?

Defamation fundamentally involves the act of damaging someone's reputation through false statements. This legal concept is centered on protecting individuals from unwarranted harm to their personal or professional standing. For a claim of defamation to hold, it typically includes elements such as the statement being false, made public, and causing harm to the person’s reputation.

The other options refer to distinct legal concepts: false imprisonment involves unlawfully restricting someone's freedom of movement; intentional infliction of emotional distress pertains to actions that cause severe emotional trauma; and negligence in a duty of care relates to the failure to meet a standard of care that results in harm to another party. Each of these does not address the reputation aspect central to defamation, which focuses explicitly on the dissemination of false information that causes reputational harm.