US state guide
This guide is general information about the law in Colorado, checked against the sources listed below on November 1, 2026. It is not legal advice. Laws change and every case is different: for advice on your situation, speak to a licensed attorney in Colorado.
01Defamation law in Colorado
Where the law comes from
Defamation in Colorado comes from common law developed by the courts, not from one dedicated statute. To win, a plaintiff generally has to show a defamatory statement about them, that it was shared with a third party, fault amounting to at least negligence, and harm (or a statement that counts as defamatory per se).
Sources1Coomer v. Salem Media of Colorado, Inc., No. 23CA1235 (Colo. App. Jan. 16, 2025)2L.S.S. v. S.A.P., No. 21CA0853 (Colo. App. Oct. 20, 2022)
Is defamation a crime?
Colorado used to treat criminal libel as a felony, and the Colorado Supreme Court had upheld that law for cases involving private individuals. The General Assembly repealed the crime of criminal libel in 2012, so defamation is now handled only through civil lawsuits.
Sources3Colorado Session Laws 2012, ch. 113, "Concerning the Repeal of the Crime of Criminal Libel"4Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, report on the 2012 Colorado criminal libel repeal bill
Statute of limitations
Libel and slander claims must be brought within one year after the claim accrues. Colorado groups them with other intentional torts such as assault and false imprisonment under the same one-year limit.
Defamation per se
A statement is defamatory per se when its harmful meaning is clear on its face, or when it falls into a traditional category: accusing someone of a crime, of having a loathsome disease, of conduct incompatible with their business or profession, or of serious sexual misconduct. For per se statements damage is presumed, while other statements require the plaintiff to allege special damages. When the statement concerns a public figure or a matter of public concern, the plaintiff must prove actual damages even if the statement is defamatory per se.
Sources6Gordon v. Boyles, No. 02CA2196 (Colo. App. Feb. 26, 2004)7Denver Publishing Co. v. Bueno, No. 01SC386 (Colo. Sept. 16, 2002)1Coomer v. Salem Media of Colorado, Inc., No. 23CA1235 (Colo. App. Jan. 16, 2025)2L.S.S. v. S.A.P., No. 21CA0853 (Colo. App. Oct. 20, 2022)
Anti-SLAPP protection
Since 2019, a person sued over petitioning or speech connected with a public issue can file a special motion to dismiss, normally within 63 days after being served with the complaint. The claim is dismissed unless the plaintiff shows a reasonable likelihood of winning, discovery is generally paused while the motion is pending, and a defendant who wins the motion is generally entitled to attorney fees and costs. In December 2025 the Colorado Supreme Court held that online reviews growing out of a private dispute can still count as speech connected with a public issue.
Sources8Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-20-11019Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Anti-SLAPP Legal Guide: Colorado10Lind-Barnett v. Tender Care Veterinary Center, Inc., No. 24SC8 (Colo. Dec. 8, 2025)
Defenses and public figures
Statements that cannot be proved true or false, or that reasonable people would not read as statements of fact, are generally protected, but calling something an opinion does not automatically protect it. When the statement involves a public figure or a matter of public concern, the plaintiff must prove falsity and actual malice (knowing falsity or reckless disregard for the truth) by clear and convincing evidence. Colorado also recognizes privileges, such as protection for fair and substantially accurate reports of court proceedings and a qualified privilege for good-faith reports of suspected child abuse, which can be lost if the reporter acted willfully, wantonly and maliciously.
Sources1Coomer v. Salem Media of Colorado, Inc., No. 23CA1235 (Colo. App. Jan. 16, 2025)2L.S.S. v. S.A.P., No. 21CA0853 (Colo. App. Oct. 20, 2022)
02Online harassment, cyberstalking and doxxing in Colorado
Cyberstalking
Colorado's stalking law covers knowingly and repeatedly following, contacting or making "any form of communication" with someone in a way that would cause a reasonable person serious emotional distress and actually does, as well as repeated contact or communication combined with a credible threat. Stalking is a class 5 felony for a first offense and a class 4 felony for a repeat offense within seven years or when a protection order or similar court order was in place.
Online harassment
It is harassment to contact someone directly or indirectly by phone, text, computer, network or other interactive electronic medium in a way intended to harass or threaten bodily injury or property damage, or to send them obscene content. This part of the law, known as Kiana Arellano's Law, is a class 2 misdemeanor, raised to a class 1 misdemeanor when motivated by bias against a protected characteristic.
Doxxing
Colorado makes it a class 1 misdemeanor to knowingly post personal information, such as a home address, personal phone number or photos of a home, of certain protected people or their immediate family online when this poses an imminent and serious threat to their safety and the poster knows or reasonably should know it. Protected people include judges, peace officers, prosecutors, public defenders, firefighters, health-care and public health workers, educators and several other public-facing roles; there is no general doxxing crime covering everyone.
Intimate images shared without consent
Since August 6, 2025, it is a crime for an adult to disclose, or threaten to disclose, online a private intimate image or a realistic AI-generated or digitally altered intimate depiction of someone without consent, either to harass, intimidate or coerce them or knowing they expected it to stay private, when this causes physical, emotional or reputational harm. It is a class 1 misdemeanor with a possible fine of up to $10,000, or a class 6 felony if it posed an imminent and serious threat to the person's or their family's safety. Separately, the person depicted can sue the discloser under Colorado's civil laws on intimate images and intimate digital depictions, and may do so under a pseudonym.
Sources14Colorado SB25-288, Intimate Digital Depictions Criminal & Civil Actions (signed act, eff. Aug. 6, 2025)15Colorado General Assembly, SB25-288 bill page16Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-21-1401 (Uniform Civil Remedies for Unauthorized Disclosure of Intimate Images Act)17Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-21-140318Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-21-1405
03Data protection and the right to have content removed
The Colorado Privacy Act gives Colorado consumers the right to ask a covered business to delete personal data about them, and the business must generally respond within 45 days, with one possible 45-day extension. It applies only to businesses that meet certain thresholds, such as handling the personal data of 100,000 or more Colorado consumers in a calendar year, and it has exemptions for several types of data and organizations.
Sources19Colo. Rev. Stat. § 6-1-1306(1)(d), (2)20Colo. Rev. Stat. § 6-1-1304
04How to remove defamatory content in Colorado
How to remove defamatory content in Colorado
A lawsuit is one route, but it is slow, costly and public. Much harmful content can come down sooner through the platform’s own reporting process, a legal notice to the site owner or host, or a removal request to search engines. The right route depends on where the content lives and on the law that applies to it.
Media Removal reviews each case and recommends the fastest route that fits it. Removal always depends on each platform and, where relevant, the courts.
05Frequently asked questions about defamation in Colorado
How long do you have to sue for defamation in Colorado?
Colorado generally gives you one year after the claim accrues to file a libel or slander lawsuit. Because the deadline is short, it is worth speaking with a Colorado attorney early.
Is defamation a crime in Colorado?
No. Colorado repealed its criminal libel law in 2012, so defamation is now handled through civil lawsuits.
Does Colorado have an anti-SLAPP law?
Yes. Since 2019, people sued over speech connected with a public issue can file a special motion to dismiss, and the claim is dismissed unless the plaintiff shows a reasonable likelihood of winning. A defendant who wins the motion is generally entitled to attorney fees and costs.
What counts as defamation per se in Colorado?
Statements that falsely accuse someone of a crime, a loathsome disease, serious sexual misconduct, or conduct incompatible with their business or profession are traditional per se categories. In those cases damage is presumed, although statements about a public figure or a matter of public concern still require proof of actual damages.
Is it illegal to post someone's intimate images online in Colorado?
Yes, in many cases. Disclosing a private intimate image or a realistic AI-generated intimate depiction of an adult without consent, to harass them or knowing they expected privacy, is a crime when it causes harm, and the person shown may also be able to bring a civil lawsuit.
06Defamation laws in nearby states
07Sources
- Coomer v. Salem Media of Colorado, Inc., No. 23CA1235 (Colo. App. Jan. 16, 2025)
- L.S.S. v. S.A.P., No. 21CA0853 (Colo. App. Oct. 20, 2022)
- Colorado Session Laws 2012, ch. 113, "Concerning the Repeal of the Crime of Criminal Libel"
- Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, report on the 2012 Colorado criminal libel repeal bill
- Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-80-103(1)(a)
- Gordon v. Boyles, No. 02CA2196 (Colo. App. Feb. 26, 2004)
- Denver Publishing Co. v. Bueno, No. 01SC386 (Colo. Sept. 16, 2002)
- Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-20-1101
- Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Anti-SLAPP Legal Guide: Colorado
- Lind-Barnett v. Tender Care Veterinary Center, Inc., No. 24SC8 (Colo. Dec. 8, 2025)
- Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-3-602
- Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-9-111(1)(e), (2), (7)
- Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-9-313(1), (2.7), (3)
- Colorado SB25-288, Intimate Digital Depictions Criminal & Civil Actions (signed act, eff. Aug. 6, 2025)
- Colorado General Assembly, SB25-288 bill page
- Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-21-1401 (Uniform Civil Remedies for Unauthorized Disclosure of Intimate Images Act)
- Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-21-1403
- Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-21-1405
- Colo. Rev. Stat. § 6-1-1306(1)(d), (2)
- Colo. Rev. Stat. § 6-1-1304