Can inquirying by merely asking in Email make me Libel?

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There has been a dark family secret,true or not in my fam and we are close so I wrote to my Aunt and asked her if indeed it was true or a Lie my Mother had told me but I needed to know if perhaps My Aunt I know gross be prepared conceived a child w my Dad.so I said I meant no harm but all of my life my mother told me that this happened and I assumed she lost it or something I never spoke of it all my life.but I am sic my health is fading and she had spoke of this daughter of hers and sent me pictures and she looks like me and my sisters which could mean nothing.. its just this rumor my mother raised me to believe since I can remember and so I asked her in an email and now she turned cold as ice and has supposedly gotten an attorney in my state she says I will be reciving papers and that I am Libel.She Likewise sent my email to her and her cold remarks back to my entire family and friends.Isnt that slander?anyway my emotional distress is so bad and I am crushed.. I know what a horrible question to ever have to ask but I meant no harm and can she really do anything to me legally for asking.. I mean I have kept it in all these yrs and went straight to the source instead of passing rumors.I went to her.She is saying to all of my fam and friends that I am rumer mongoring and abusing and setting allegations towards all of them.and honestly I want to cry I feel like a little child who is being ganged up on for just asking the truth.. there was no allegations I never accused her that was my mom all my life.. is there a way my Aunt can truly hurt me like this for just asking a question?please I beg of you please help me.. I cannot sleep or eat my heart is broken~Lilly

Let me see you referred to her turning cold as ice,?

Why did you just not ask a simple question without judgment if you wanted to know something, And yes you can "ask a question" in a mannter that it is an allegation, they do it in politics all the time.

Let me see if what you asked was not true how do you feel this hurt her?

And for heavens sake, you did this in an email, not with enough respect to do it in person or at least on the phone.

Not only did you do it very poorly, you seem to have asked it in a very poor way.

So depending on EXACTLY what you said, she may or may not have a case.

BUT>>>>> she only has a case if it is not true, so is she does sue, you can demand DNA tests and the such to prove it is not true.

No, she does not have a case unless you sent this e-mail to other people as well. Libel requires a PUBLIC statement.

I would suggest, however, that you take more care in writing. Learn how to use punctuation and full sentences. Your post was barely understandable.

I would think she could be more at fault than you because you asked her a question
And she is the one that spread things to the others because of you asking her a question.
Can you get the emails from friends and family and if she really takes you to court you have proof that she did more to create *libel* than you did.

Fr_chuck is right about it being libel only if you hadn't kept it between the two of you and it had ruined her reputation.