Defamation must be communicated to whom to be actionable in court?

For a defamation claim to be actionable in court, the statement in question must be communicated to a third party. This requirement is crucial because defamation essentially involves harming someone's reputation through false statements. If the statement is made solely to the victim or the perpetrator without any third-party involvement, it does not fulfill the legal definition of defamation, as there is no one else to be influenced by the falsehood. The act of conveying defamatory statements to a third party ensures that the reputational harm can be evaluated based on how that other person perceives the information. This external communication is what allows the victim to seek legal remedy by demonstrating that others have been made aware of the damaging claims.