What term describes the act of issuing false statements intended to injure a person?

The correct term for the act of issuing false statements intended to injure a person is defamation. Defamation encompasses both slander and libel, with slander referring specifically to spoken false statements and libel to written ones. This legal concept is important as it protects individuals from false statements that can harm their reputation or standing in the community.

In this context, fraud typically involves deceitful practices designed to secure an unfair or unlawful gain, which differs from the focus on reputational harm found in defamation. Malpractice refers to negligence or failure to perform duties competently in a professional context, such as medical or legal services, and not to false statements aimed at harming someone's reputation. Thus, defamation accurately describes the act of making false statements with the intent to cause injury.