We already knew that Tesla was holding Top Gear liable for what it sees as libel during its review of the Tesla Roadster. The Guardian’s title “Top Gear did not libel carmaker Tesla, high court rules” stood out for us not only because of its content but also because of use of the word libel as a verb. Use of the word libel in that construction made the sentence sound awkward. After review, however, we found that the word libel is both a noun and a verb. As a noun, according to Merriam-Webster, it is a written or oral defamatory statement or representation that conveys an unjustly unfavorable impression. As a verb it means to make or publish a libel against. Therefore, to put the Guardian’s title in a different perspective, Top Gear did not make or publish a written or oral defamatory statement or representation that conveys an unjustly unfavorable impression against Tesla, a high court has ruled.

For Tesla to prove that Top Gear libeled it, it had to prove the comments made in the show are defamatory. There is no single de

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