Under Australian Law, Calling Someone “a Karen” Could Get You Sued

In a post entitled If you’ve called someone ‘a Karen’, have you defamed them?, Australian law firm Bennett and Co. reflect on the possible legal vulnerability of someone who calls another person a “Karen”. Their analysis does not discuss the situation of women whose legal name is Karen—that is, their concern is with the person who is called “a Karen,” rather than the women whose name is being hijacked. Nevertheless, it’s worth a look: their observations could be helpful in making people aware that hurling the name “Karen” as an insult is not just “fun and games.”

They point out that, “Whether said in jest or otherwise, arguably, a pejorative label like ‘Karen’ could be defamatory. Defamation is a tort of strict liability, meaning that you can be liable for defamation irrespective of what you intended.”