In the law of libel and slander. Words which import a charge of some punishable crime or some offensive disease, or impute moral turpitude , or tend to injure a party in his trade or business, are said to be “actionable per se.” Barnes v. Tmndy. 31 Me. 321; Lemons v. Wells, 78 Ky. 117; Mayrant v. IJichardson, 1 Nott & McC. 347, 9 Am. Dec. 707; Cady v. Brooklyn Union Pub. Co., 23 Misc. Rep. 409, 51 N. Y. Supp. 198.
Black’s Law Online Dictionary
