Special damages in a defamation law context means that the plaintiff must specifically prove that she suffered pecuniary loss as a result of the defamatory statement’s effect on her reputation, and are not proved merely by evidence of actual injury—such as the loss of friends, humiliation, or wounded feelings. The loss of a job, a prospective gift or inheritance, an advantageous business relationship, or customers are pecuniary losses such as those contemplated by the special damages requirement.