Alleged Assailants Retaliate Against #MeToo Movement
August 28, 2018
As #MeToo survivors share their experiences of sexual assault and domestic violence, many have faced retaliatory lawsuits. The power imbalance between survivors and alleged assailants is especially apparent in the revelations involving high profile men in Hollywood and the public eye. Examples abound: Bill Cosby,…
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Billionaires Bully the Media
August 28, 2018
The Harvey Weinstein scandal raised awareness of the tactics used by billionaires in the United States to keep the media from publishing critical stories. Weinstein used several tactics to prevent the sexual assault story from being published, including threatening to sue the New York Times for $50 million.
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Chevron: Protect the Protest’s Corporate Bully of the Year
May 29, 2019
Today, activists gathered outside Chevron’s annual meeting to tell CEO Michael Wirth that the company must stop being a corporate bully. Speakers at the event said that the company has spent over $2 billion and engaged over 2,000 lawyers to avoid accountability for its environmental violations in Ecuador. Share this… Read More
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Coal Baron Files SLAPPs Against Those Who Criticize His Labor Practices
August 28, 2018
Robert Murray is a notorious coal baron who leads the country’s largest privately owned coal company, the Murray Energy Corporation. The company has been repeatedly sanctioned for failing to meet miner safety standards. Mr. Murray has close ties to President Trump. In June 2017, Murray sued comedian John…
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Companies Strike Back Against Negative Customer Reviews Online
August 28, 2018
Several companies have sued consumers who post negative reviews online. In December 2012, the Virginia Supreme Court reversed a controversial lower court decision that forced a customer, Jane Perez, to remove a negative review of a contractor on Yelp. The contractor, Christopher Dietz, had sued Ms. Perez for $750,000…
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Forestry Company Faces Challenge to Its “Responsible Timber” Certification After Waging Intimidation Campaign Against Local Community
February 27, 2019
WEED, CALIFORNIA – Citizens of Weed, California filed a complaint today with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) after Oregon-based Roseburg Forest Products refused to stop its abusive tactics in a bid to privatize the community’s main source of drinking water. The complaint alleges that Roseburg,… Read More
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Green Groups: Suits to Silence Them on the Rise
April 14, 2017
In this article for Bloomberg Law, Peter Hayes describes a SLAPP filed against residents of Uniontown, Alabama who opposed the dumping of toxic material in a landfill in their community. While it’s difficult to estimate the number of SLAPPs, it’s clear…
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Human Rights Watch: Green Activists are Fighting the Great Fight – but are being Dragged Down by Petty Lawsuits
May 10, 2019
In Newsweek, Marcos Orellana of Human Rights Watch describes how companies worldwide are bringing baseless lawsuits against environmental activists. As Orellana describes, the purpose of this tactic is “to suppress environmental defenders’ effectiveness by intimidating them and burdening them with… Read More
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Landfill Operator Tries to Silence Community Activists in Alabama
August 28, 2018
Uniontown, Alabama is one of the poorest communities in the United States. Its population is 91% African American, and half of its residents live below the poverty line. Georgia-based Green Group Holdings operates a landfill in the town. When the company dumped millions of tons of toxic coal ash…
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Law Firm Uses Anti-Mafia Law to Harass Environmentalists
August 28, 2018
New York City-based law firm Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP is attempting to use an anti-mafia law to stifle the free speech of civil society organizations. In July 2018, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by Canadian logging giant, Resolute Forest Products, against environmental organizations Greenpeace and Stand.earth. Resolute and…
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New York Times Feature: Maggy Hurchalla, Florida Environmental Activist, Continues SLAPP Fight Despite Recent Loss
September 18, 2019
In a recent New York Times article, Florida environmental activist Maggy Hurchalla discussed the ongoing SLAPP suit that was brought against her by Florida mining Company, Lake Point Restoration. Read More
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Oil Giant Uses Court Procedures to Harass Climate Change Advocates and Scientists
August 28, 2018
During the past five years, climate change activists, scientists, and investigators have uncovered evidence that oil giant ExxonMobil first learned about the dangers of climate change decades ago, yet chose to conceal this information from its customers and the public. This information now forms the basis of several multi-million…
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Police Officers Attempt to Hold Black Lives Matter Activists Liable for Other Protesters’ Actions
August 28, 2018
Following a series of protests in 2016 and 2017, several injured police officers sued the Black Lives Matter movement. In late 2016, for example, a police officer in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, brought a lawsuit against Black Lives Matter, the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter, and DeRay Mckesson, a high profile activist associated with…
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The Dakota Access Pipeline Company Is Abusing the Judicial System to Silence Dissent
March 04, 2019
The ACLU discusses how pipeline company Energy Transfer is abusing the judicial system in order to suppress the rights of activists. The article is available on the ACLU’s website and is re-posted here with permission. In a win for free speech, a federal court in North Dakota recently… Read More
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The Term “Eco-Terrorist” is Being Used to Harass Activists
January 03, 2019
In an article for Grist, Justine Calma and Paola Rosa-Aquino discuss a 1990s tactic that is growing in popularity once again: labeling activists as “eco-terrorists.” Across the world, we are witnessing growing efforts by governments and corporations to silence environmental activists. According to Calma and Rosa-Aquino, “The consequences of… Read More
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Pipeline Protester Fights Back Against Corporation’s Sprawling, Outlandish Lawsuit
December 21, 2018
BISMARCK, ND — Krystal Two Bulls, an Oglala Lakota and Northern Cheyenne U.S. army veteran and environmental and Indigenous rights activist, today urged a federal court to dismiss a racketeering lawsuit filed against her for her role in standing for land, water, and her People against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Read More
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The ‘Weed 9’ Rallies Against Corporate Water Grab and Legal Bullying
December 18, 2018
SPRINGFIELD, OREGON – Residents of Weed, California are rallying today outside the headquarters of Roseburg Forest Products to demand that the Springfield-based company cease its aggressive campaign to deprive them of their clean drinking water. Over 20 residents of Weed made the five hour journey to… Read More
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