An Activist’s Guide: Reducing Exposure to SLAPP Lawsuits

March 12, 2019
Tags: guide, help, know your rights
The Protect the Protest task force encourages activists, community organizers, and public interest organizations in the United States to read An Activist’s Guide: Reducing Exposure to SLAPP Lawsuits. This guide provides an introduction to SLAPPs and advice on how to respond if you face a SLAPP threat. We hope…
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Best Practices for Avoiding Publication Liability

November 21, 2018
Tags: Defamation, Prevention
Suppose you are campaigning on an important topic and want to publish a blog, tweet, article, video, or report that exposes the wrongdoing of a company or individual. What steps can you take to avoid publication liability? The First Amendment Project has developed a Factsheet on Avoiding Publication Liability…
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Defamation, Libel, Slander…and Other Common SLAPP disguises

August 10, 2018
The California Anti-SLAPP Project created this factsheet to explain the types of legal claims (such as defamation, invasion of privacy, and conspiracy) that are often used to disguise a SLAPP. The definitions on this sheet apply specifically to California law, but provide a general overview that can…
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Encyclopedia of Types of SLAPPs

August 28, 2018
Legal bullies never admit that they are filing a “strategic lawsuit against public participation” (SLAPP); SLAPPs come disguised as legitimate legal claims. Here are some of the most common types of legal theories used in SLAPPs. Note: these legal theories all appear in legitimate lawsuits, as well; in each case,…
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How Litigation Throttles Civic Advocacy

May 22, 2017
Tags: Greenpeace, Resolute, RICO
Bunny Mcdiarmid, Executive Director of Greenpeace International discusses how corporations are using SLAPPs to target advocacy groups. This article explains why corporations would pursue a lawsuit that they expect to lose: “In many ways, hiring goons is a lot easier and…
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How SLAPPs Undermine Democracy: A Case Study of the USA

September 14, 2018
Tags: ETP
Charlie Holt, Legal Counsel at Greenpeace International, examines the rise of corporate power in democracies worldwide. With governments increasingly powerless to hold corporations accountable for wrongdoing, Holt writes that corporations are “increasingly responsive to only one thing: the opinion of their customers.”…
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Revoke Chevron’s License to Spill!

June 11, 2021
 Justice must be served in the Amazon In an effort to shareChevron’s widespread harms in a new, engaging way, the Protect the Protest task force is proud to launch our License to Spill campaign. Our hope is to bring a wider audience into the fight for justice for the people… Read More
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SLAPPs: Getting Sued for Speaking Out (1996)

January 01, 1996
This book, by the two professors who coined the term “SLAPP,” charts the history of SLAPPs. The book examines the history of how the courts have addressed SLAPPs and looks at trends during the 1970s-1990s. An excerpt of the book is available here. The full book can…
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SLAPPs: Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation (1989)

September 01, 1989
The Pace Environmental Law Review published this article in 1989 by one of the two professors who coined the term “SLAPP.” This article analyzes the legal implications of SLAPPs, while a counterpart article by Penelope Canan examines SLAPPs from a sociological perspective.
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The First Annual SLAPP Awards 2018

February 25, 2019
Tags: awards, SLAPPies
Last year was a busy year for corporate bullies in the US. It seems nowadays that a corporation or high-ranking businessman can’t even engage in a light spot of environmental destruction, harassment, or treason without some pesky activist or journalist getting in the way. Corporate bullies have increasingly… Read More
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Facing a SLAPP Threat? Here are 10 Resources to Help You

November 21, 2018
Tags: Prevention
Our democracy depends on checks and balances – and those who work to expose the wrongdoing of America’s rich and powerful have a critical role to play. But this work is becoming increasingly risky:  community activists, civil society campaigners and journalists face the growing threat of retaliation for… Read More
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