Re: slander & the dead -- the dead have no right to a reputation. Heirs cannot sue for libel on behalf of the deceased. Back in the 1980s the NY legislature considered overturning this legal principle after the Borough President of Queens, Donald Manes, killed himself. He was a beloved figure, but the newspapers soon found that he had killed himself because he was totally corrupt and he had learned that he would soon be exposed. His grieving widow blasted the press for libelling a dead man; through her tears she said "he's not around to defend himself." Manes's cronies in the legislature, crooked themselves, proposed a bill that would allow Mrs. Manes to sue for libel of her dead husband. It never went anywhere, and NY soon witnessed the unravelling of a huge municipal scandal, whose exposure was not impeded by the Donald Manes Memorial Libel Law. Henry Wiencek To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html