The term "defamation" is getting a lot of press coverage these days. For example, a Virginia jury recently awarded actor Johnny Depp $15 million in his defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife, Amber Heard. But what exactly is defamation? How do you sue for it? And is it insurable?

Note: This article is not an analysis of the strength of either Depp's or Heard's case, nor is it a vignette against either. The matter is used for illustration purposes only.

Defamation goes beyond simply making a statement that hurts another person's feelings. It is the act of communicating false statements to others about a person that injures the person's reputation. If a defamatory statement is written down or recorded, it is libel; if it was spoken out loud, it is called slander.