Steve was tired of Julius receiving all of the attention in his five-person study group. On one of their designated study days, Julius was running late, and Steve falsely told his peers not to tell anyone, but that Julius found out he has an inoperable malignant tumor in his stomach. Steve is liable for libel.

Libel is defamation made in a lasting form, such as writing or a published post. Steve told the study group verbally that Julius had an inoperable malignant tumor, so the statement is not libel. It could potentially be slander, but the claim that Steve is liable for libel is false.

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