JoAnn Fonzone is an attorney with a private practice in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. JoAnn Fonzone has represented clients in multiple cases involving legal issues like defamation.A legal claim for defamation is made by one person against another for making a false statement that caused injury to the former’s reputation. The person instituting the legal claim is the plaintiff and the person who made the alleged defamatory statement is the defendant. If the statement was written or published, it is referred to as libel and if it was spoken, it is referred to as slander. In both cases, Pennsylvania law requires the plaintiff to prove several things to substantiate a defamation suit.The burden is on the plaintiff to prove that: the defendant made or published a defamatory statement, the statement was about him or her, the statement harmed his or her reputation, and that the statement was not made with no applicable privilege. Once the plaintiff proves these, the burden shifts on the defendant to prove that the statement was true, was made on a privileged occasion or referred to a subject matter that was of public concern.Defamation proceedings are not criminal but civil. In addition, many overlying circumstances may affect a defamation case. These are best discussed with an attorney.
Attorney JoAnn Fonzone represents clients in civil rights, contract disputes, and other matters through her Philadelphia law firm. Throughout her career, JoAnn Fonzone has provided pro bono representation to military veterans as well as campaigned for members of this cohort who have run for elected office.The 116th United States Congress includes 96 senators and representatives who have served in the military. Among these are the following four elected officials from Ms. Fonzone’s home state of Pennsylvania.1. Chrissy Houlahan - Raised in a military family, Congresswoman Houlahan kept alive her family’s tradition by serving in the Air Force, where she rose to the rank of captain. In 2019, she began representing the people of Pennsylvania’s sixth district.2. Conor Lamb - Also a freshman member of the 116th Congress, Congressman Lamb represents Pennsylvania’s 17th district. He served as an active-duty Marine for four years and still maintains the rank of major in the Marine Corps Reserves.3. Scott Perry - Congressman Perry commanded an aviation battalion and flew 44 combat missions for the Army in the Iraq War before ascending to the rank of brigadier general. Representing Pennsylvania’s fourth district since 2013, he also currently serves as an assistant adjutant general in the National Guard.4. Guy Reschenthaler - Congressman Reschenthaler prosecuted dozens of terrorists and mounted a successful defense of a Navy SEAL while stationed in Baghdad with the Navy JAG Corps. Today, he represents the people of Pennsylvania’s 14th district, whom he has served since 2019.
