What legal term describes the utterance of false and malicious statements?

The legal term that describes the utterance of false and malicious statements is defamation. Defamation encompasses both libel and slander, where libel refers specifically to written defamation and slander to spoken defamation. Therefore, when someone makes false and harmful statements about another person, they are engaging in defamation.

It's important to understand the nuances between these terms. Libel typically involves harming someone’s reputation through published statements, while slander involves spoken statements. Additionally, misinformation generally refers to the spreading of false information without the malicious intent that characterizes defamation. Thus, defamation captures the broader legal issue of making false statements that harm another person's reputation, making it the most accurate answer to the question.