False statements about you aren't opinion. A New York attorney cease & desist letter demands that they stop.
Accusations of a serious crime or professional misconduct are defamatory per se in New York, so damages are generally presumed. This letter demands deletion, retraction, and cessation, and puts the speaker on evidence-preservation notice.
Flat fee $499, signed by a licensed New York attorney, draft within 48 hours, mailed on your approval.
Reviewed by Daniel Hochman, Esq. · Last updated November 1, 2026
A defamation cease and desist letter demands that a person stop making false statements of fact about you and take down or retract what they already said, and it puts them on notice to preserve the evidence. Only provably false statements of fact qualify, and accusations of a serious crime or of misconduct in your trade or profession are defamatory per se in New York, so damages are generally presumed. Pure opinion is not actionable, a statement on a matter of public interest is actionable only if the speaker knew it was false or recklessly disregarded the truth (Civil Rights Law § 76-a), and a claim must be brought within one year (CPLR 215(3)).
The C&D demands conduct, not cash, which is what keeps it clean and effective. Verbatim quotes with dates and forums are required at intake; pure opinion, consumer reviews of businesses, statements over a year old, and litigation statements are screened out with an honest explanation, as the terms describe. Background reading from the firm: cease and desist letters in New York.
Search for a cease and desist letter and page one of Google hands you free templates with no signature behind them. This is the other option, a letter drafted and signed by a New York attorney, screened honestly before anything is drafted, at a price printed right here: $499 flat.
What is a defamation cease and desist letter?
A defamation cease and desist letter is a formal demand, here, drafted and signed by a New York attorney, that a person stop making false statements of fact about you, delete or retract what they have published, and preserve the evidence. It is not a court order; it creates notice, a paper trail, and consequences for continuing.
In New York, false statements accusing someone of a serious crime (theft or sexual assault, for example), of misconduct in their trade or profession, or of having a loathsome disease are defamatory per se: the law presumes damages, so you generally do not have to prove you lost money. One limit: if the statement was made publicly about a matter of public interest, which since 2020 includes most reviews and posts about a business, you must also show the speaker knew it was false or recklessly disregarded the truth (Civil Rights Law § 76-a). The letter puts that law in front of the speaker, in writing, with a deadline.
Per se categories mean presumed damages
Accusations of serious crime, statements injuring your trade or profession, and the other per se categories carry presumed damages: no proof of monetary loss required. On a matter of public interest, actual malice must be shown as well.
Fact versus opinion is the whole game
Only provably false assertions of fact are actionable. The intake requires the exact words verbatim, and the attorney's fact-or-opinion determination gates every letter, protecting you from sending a demand that backfires.
Anti-SLAPP protects speech on public matters
New York's expanded anti-SLAPP law shields commentary on matters of public concern, including genuine consumer reviews. This letter never issues into that territory, a screen that protects you as much as anyone. Read the statute: Civil Rights Law § 76-a and the fee-shifting provision in § 70-a; the one-year limitations period is CPLR 215(3).
Civ. Rights L. § 76-a
See a sample cease & desist letter in this office's format
Letterhead, the statute cited, the three demands, the preservation notice, and a signature: this is what lands in their mailbox. Facts shown are illustrative.
Re: Cease and Desist. Defamatory Statements Published March 3
Dear Mr. Speaker:
This firm represents your former business partner. On March 3, you published on a public forum the statement that my client "stole money from clients and will be indicted." That statement is false. An accusation of a serious crime such as theft is defamatory per se under New York law, and damages are presumed.
Demand is made that you (1) delete the statement within five (5) days, (2) publish the retraction enclosed with this letter, and (3) cease publishing further false statements of fact concerning my client. You are further directed to preserve all documents, messages, and account data relating to these statements...
How it works: from intake to draft within 48 hours
Tell us exactly what was said
The intake asks for each statement verbatim, the date, and where it appeared (URL, platform, or who heard it). Screenshots upload in the same form.
Pay the flat fee, screened first
$499, shown before you pay. The attorney screens every matter before drafting; if the statements look like opinion or protected speech, you'll know before any letter is written.
Attorney review and signature
Daniel Hochman, Esq. makes the fact-versus-opinion call on every statement, applies New York's anti-SLAPP screen, drafts the demands and the retraction, and signs on firm letterhead. The draft is emailed to you first.
Mail, email, and your copy
The signed letter goes out by USPS Certified Mail, and by email where an address is known. You get the PDF, the tracking number, and a response-window countdown in the client portal.
What happens after it's sent
They delete or retract
The most straightforward outcome: the post comes down, the retraction is published or sent, and the matter closes. We confirm the deletion, and your copy of the letter and their compliance become your record if it ever resurfaces.
They respond, or their lawyer does
A response is usually good news: they engaged. Attorney review of their reply and a next-step memo are included free. If they push back with a legal argument, you'll get a prompt written answer on whether it holds water and what the measured next move is.
They ignore it
Then the letter has done its second job. You now hold proof they were told, in writing, that the statements were false, and persisted. That is Exhibit A in any defamation action. Courts weigh it, though a refusal to retract does not by itself prove the speaker knew the statement was false. A written case assessment ($499) tells you honestly whether filing is worth it.
How much does a defamation cease and desist letter cost?
Through this service, a defamation cease and desist letter costs $499 flat, drafting, attorney review and signature, mailing, email delivery, and a PDF copy included. Free templates cost nothing but carry no signature of counsel. Every follow-on step has a flat fee you see before you decide, nothing is charged automatically. How that compares with a template or an hourly lawyer is on the cease and desist cost page.
Slander, libel, or online defamation, which is yours?
Slander, spoken
Statements made out loud: to your employer, your clients, a landlord, a co-op board, a room full of people. Harder to prove, so the intake asks who heard it and when. The letter demands cessation and a written retraction to the same audience. More on slander letters →
Libel, written or published
Anything fixed in a medium: a letter, an email, a flyer, a text to a third party. Libel is the easier case because the words are on paper, and the letter quotes them back verbatim with the per se category they fall into. More on libel letters →
Online, posts, reviews, and DMs
A Google review, a Facebook post, a Reddit thread, an Instagram story, a message to your boss: all libel. The letter names each URL, demands deletion and retraction, and puts the poster on notice to preserve the account data. Genuine consumer opinions are protected and are screened out before anything drafts. More on online defamation →
Questions before you start
Someone left a nasty review of my business. Can I send this?
Usually no, and we'll tell you straight: genuine consumer reviews sit in protected territory, and a C&D against one can backfire, and suing over it carries fee exposure under the anti-SLAPP law. False factual accusations, 'they stole my deposit,' are different, and attorney review draws that line before anything drafts.
Will they just ignore it?
A signed attorney letter with a preservation notice changes the calculation for many speakers, and the ones who persist have handed you Exhibit A: proof they were told, in writing, that the statements were false, and continued anyway. No outcome is guaranteed; attorney review of their response, or their silence, is included free.
How much does a cease & desist letter cost in New York?
Through this service, $499 flat, drafting, attorney review and signature, mailing, email delivery, and a PDF copy included. Free templates cost nothing but carry no signature of counsel. Every follow-on step has a flat price you see before you decide, nothing is charged automatically. Full price list.
Is a cease & desist letter legally binding?
No. It is not a court order, and by itself it can't force anyone to do anything. What it does is create notice, a dated evidence record, and litigation posture: once it's received, continuing to publish the statements is a choice made with full knowledge, which matters for damages and for how a court views the speaker's intent.
Can this backfire on me?
It can, if the letter targets protected speech. That is why the attorney reviews every matter before anything mails: genuine consumer reviews and pure opinion are declined, and so is commentary on a matter of public concern unless it is provably false and the speaker knew it (New York's anti-SLAPP law), with an honest explanation; no part of your fee is earned, and the full amount can go toward any other service. When the statements are provably false facts, a measured attorney letter is the low-escalation move: it demands a stop in writing before anyone files anything.
Does it need to be notarized, served, or can it be emailed?
None of those are required. A cease and desist letter is a private demand, not a court paper, so there is no notarization and no formal service. We send it by USPS Certified Mail so delivery is documented, and by email as well where a working address is known, the email usually lands first, and the USPS tracking record shows when the letter was delivered.
Do I need a lawyer, or can I write my own?
You can write your own, and for a minor dispute a polite letter sometimes works. The difference with a signed attorney letter is who the reader thinks is on the other end: a template from you reads as a complaint; a letter from counsel reads as notice that a lawsuit is a real possibility, and it arrives with the law already cited, the retraction already drafted, and the evidence-preservation demand already made. What every line of a cease and desist letter does.
Does receiving a cease & desist go on your record?
No. A cease and desist letter is private correspondence between the parties. It is not filed with any court, it does not appear on a background check, and it creates no public record. If you're the one who received a letter, read what a demand letter can and cannot do before you respond.
Is this for slander, libel, or online posts?
All three. Slander is spoken, libel is written or published, and a social-media post, a Google review, or a text to your employer is libel. The letter is drafted for the medium: for online statements it names each URL and demands deletion and retraction; for spoken statements it demands cessation and a written retraction to the same audience. The intake asks where and how each statement was made.
Statutes cited on this page
Civil Rights Law § 76-a (Civil Rights Law)
CPLR § 215(3) (Civil Practice Law and Rules)
Each link opens the official text at the New York State Senate's Open Legislation site (federal sections: Cornell Law School's U.S. Code).