Ohio

After momentum fizzled the first time around, state Sen. Matt Huffman, R-Lima, re-introduced an Ohio bill meant to curtail frivolous lawsuits that target individuals for practicing protected speech.

Known as the Ohio Citizen Participation Act, the bill would create an expedited legal framework for courts to follow if a SLAPP, or strategic lawsuit against public participation, ends up in civil court.

Huffman, who re-introduced the bill during a Tuesday morning press conference, said the bill’s purpose is to encourage public discussion and discourage the use of lawsuits that effectively stymie conversation by saddling individuals with unfair court procedure. Similar bills have been adopted by 36 other states by both conservative and liberal legislatures.

The wife of a county official said she won’t let a “frivolous” defamation lawsuit filed against the couple by the Trumbull County engineer stop her from exercising her First Amendment right to free speech.

As doctors and hospitals throw considerable resources behind legal fights, some patients face huge legal bills for posting negative reviews.

Leslie Machado provided an update on cases in which anti-SLAPP special motions to dismiss were filed. The cases were filed in D.C. federal court and D.C. Superior Court. Notably, the Superior Court stayed its case pending the resolution of a virtually-identical case in Ohio.

PPP Policy Director Evan Mascagni published an Op-Ed in Ohio that ran in several newspapers across the state advocating for anti-SLAPP legislation in Ohio. The Op-Ed is published in full below.

Immediately following a report by the New York Times that he allegedly sexually assaulted numerous women throughout his career, Harvey Weinstein threatened to sue the Times for defamation. For First Amendment legal scholars, this comes as no surprise. There’s a long history of powerful bullies attempting to use the legal system to silence their critics. 

University of Mississippi’s basketball coach settled a defamation lawsuit with a cab driver and a valet stemming from a dispute over a ride.

After Cincinnati TV reporter Hagit Limor started investigating a chain of dental practices, the dentist sued her sources for libel.