Quote:
Originally posted by AngryMulletMan
[missing the point]
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the issue is infer vs. imply, not the elements of defamation torts
in·fer (ĭn-fûr')
v., -ferred, -fer·ring, -fers.
v.tr.
To conclude from evidence or premises.
USAGE NOTE Infer is sometimes confused with imply, but the distinction is a useful one. When we say that a speaker or sentence implies something, we mean that it is conveyed or suggested without being stated outright: When the mayor said that she would not rule out a business tax increase, she implied (not inferred) that some taxes might be raised.
Inference, on the other hand, is the activity performed by a reader or interpreter in drawing conclusions that are not explicit in what is said: When the mayor said that she would not rule out a tax increase, we inferred that she had been consulting with some new financial advisers, since her old advisers were in favor of tax reductions.
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
edited to correct spelling and add the citation. 
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