A judge sided with a student who was sued for leaving a negative review of a law firm online, dismissing the defamation lawsuit and ordering the firm to pay her $26,831.55 in legal fees. The student’s lawyer successfully petitioned the court to have the lawsuit dismissed as a violation of Texas’s law against Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP).
Read MoreAs part of PPP's efforts to track President Trump and the first amendment, here are several recent articles reviewing the issues:
Read MoreAfter more than a year of waiting, Congress has finally okayed a piece of legislation that, if signed by the president, will stop companies from using so-called “non-disparagement” or “gag” clauses to prevent or discourage customers from writing honest reviews.
Read MoreAmericans recently made their voices heard by electing a new president and Congress. Whether your candidate was elected or not, open, free and transparent elections are what make our democratic system function so smoothly. Another core principle of our democracy is the freedom to express an opinion without the threat of retaliation.
Read MoreFrom 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.”
Read MoreAn Alaska Native corporation dropped a $24 million lawsuit against a California reporter and two news outlets. The corporation originally claimed a story investigating the company's federal contract for replacing railway structures in California damaged its reputation.
Read MorePPP 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...
Read MoreFOR 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!
Read MorePPP 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 MorePPP Policy Director Evan Mascagni was recently quoted in a USA Today article about Donald Trump and SLAPPs:
Trump isn’t alone in trying to “hijack the judicial system” to silence critics, said Evan Mascagni, policy director at the Public Participation Project, an advocacy group lobbying for a federal anti-SLAPP law.
Read MoreTo stop consumer gag clauses and other practices known as strategic lawsuits against public participation, or SLAPP suits, state and federal legislators are moving toward laws specifically spelling out consumers’ rights to post negative, fact-based reviews.
Read MoreA defamation lawsuit against several parents of former students at Agora Cyber Charter School quietly ended after 7 1/2 years. Officials closed the case because there had been no activity for more than two years.
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Since the introduction of the SPEAK FREE Act of 2015 in May, momentum has been building to enact this important legislation. The bill now has more than 30 co-sponsors in the House and there was a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on June 22, 2016. You can view that hearing here.
Here is just some of the coverage that the Speak Free Act has been receiving:
Read MorePPP Policy Director Evan Mascagni was recently quoted in a Politico article about SLAPPs and Donald Trump:
Trump’s litigiousness has extended into the presidential campaign. In November, following reports of a $2.5 million pro-Kasich super PAC investment in anti-Trump ads, Trump tweeted: “I will sue him just for fun!
In some cases, he has openly acknowledged that going to court is less about seeking justice and more about joyfully punishing enemies.
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