The Public Participation Project is excited to report that Representative Jamie Raskin has introduced the SLAPP Protection Act of 2022, H.R. 8864, a bill aiming to curtail meritless anti-speech lawsuits at the federal level.
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At a hearing held by Rep. Jamie Raskin, members of the House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties discussed whether fossil fuel companies use SLAPPs to intimidate free speech. Raskin noted that through these suits, individuals and civic groups who speak on climate-related issues can face expensive and protracted litigation levelled by the corporations. Read more about the discussion, which touched on global and domestic activism and the need for a federal anti-SLAPP law, in the House press release.
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From Sasha Moss at R Street: Donald Trump has promised that if he becomes president, he’s going to “open up those libel laws so when The New York Times writes a hit piece we can sue them and win money.” To date, he’s already filed six libel suits. Highlights include his recent suit against Timothy O’Brien, author of “Trump Nation,” for asserting his net worth isn’t as high as Trump claimed it is, and toward comedian Bill Maher, who requested Trump prove he’s not the “spawn of an orangutan.”
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PPP Board Member Sophia Cope and PPP Policy Director Evan Mascagni were recently quoted in a front page story of the San Francisco Chronicle on SLAPPs.
“There are bullies out there who seek to silence individuals for speaking out on matters of public interest,” said Evan Mascagni...
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
HOUSE PASSES CONSUMER REVIEW FAIRNESS ACT!
September 12, 2016
The Public Participation Project (PPP) applauds the United States House of Representatives for passing the Consumer Review Fairness Act!
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PPP Board Member Jeremy Rosen recently authored an Op-Ed for the Hill advocating for enactment of the Speak Free Act.
"The SPEAK FREE Act provides a mechanism for federal courts to promptly dismiss those baseless lawsuits that are designed to punish people for speaking out."
Read MoreFrom Mark Gollom at CBC News:
The aggressive action taken by some businesses against those who post negative reviews online about their product or service is having a chilling effect on some reviewers who fear being sued, observers say.
“It’s a tremendous issue. We’re running into that all over. It’s cheap to threaten and expensive to defend,” said Paul Alan Levy, a lawyer who specializes in free speech issues related to the internet for the Washington, D.C.- based Public Citizen Litigation Group.
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