In slander cases, the P needs to prove special damages, such as lost wages or reduced business income. However, slander is actionable "per se," that is, without proof of damages, if the statement accuses the plaintiff of: (1) Committing a serious crime; (2) Having a "loathsome disease" (that is, leprosy or a venereal disease, or perhaps, now, AIDS or SARS); (3) Being incompetent to practice a chosen business, trade, or profession; or (4) Being an unchaste woman (now covers "serious sexual misconduct" by a plaintiff of either sex).