An Environmental Advocate’s Guide to Avoiding Defamation and Other Publication Lawsuits
May 31, 2005
The First Amendment Project wrote this guide to help protect environmental advocates from defamation lawsuits. However, this resource provides guidance on avoiding defamation that is not only useful for environmental organizations, but a broader range of civil society groups.
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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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California Anti-SLAPP Project
August 10, 2018
The California Anti-SLAPP Project (CASP) is a law firm that fights against SLAPPs and protects the First Amendment. The firm’s website has a number of resources to help those targeted by SLAPPs. While the resources are geared towards those in California, they provide a useful reference for individuals and…
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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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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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Defending Against a SLAPP
August 10, 2018
The California Anti-SLAPP project created this factsheet to describe the basic parts of litigation involving a SLAPP. Although the content is specific to California laws, it provides a general overview that can be useful for individuals and organizations facing SLAPPs in other jurisdictions.
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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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Guarding Against the Chill: A Survival Guide for SLAPP Victims
May 31, 2018
The First Amendment Project created this handbook to help individuals and organizations identify SLAPPs and protect themselves. This includes preemptive actions to reduce exposure to SLAPPs and actions to take if a SLAPP bully targets you or your organization.
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How the Wealthy Use Frivolous Lawsuits to Silence Activists, Journalists, and Even Victims of Sexual Violence
September 12, 2018
In this article for Salon, Amanda Marcotte reports on the launch of the Protect the Protest task force, as well as the wide range of public interest organizations affected by SLAPPs. This includes, for example, media organizations, environmental activists, and sexual…
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SLAPPed: A Tool for Activists
May 15, 2014
The ACLU of Ohio developed this guide to help activists better understand SLAPPs and how to defend against them. The guide includes a brief history of SLAPPs and a description of modern SLAPPs, including those against free speech online.
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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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BuzzFeed Defeats SLAPP Arising Out of Trump-Russia Scandal
December 20, 2018
MIAMI, FLORIDA – Yesterday, a federal court dismissed a defamation lawsuit brought by a Russian technology entrepreneur against BuzzFeed News. In January 2017, BuzzFeed published the now-famous dossier produced by Christopher Steele, which includes allegations linking Donald Trump to Russia. Aleksej Gubarev, one… Read More
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Dangerous Lawsuit against Greenpeace Threatens News Organizations and First Amendment
February 19, 2018
This article by Camille Fassett of the Freedom of the Press Foundation describes a SLAPP brought by Energy Transfer Partners — the company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline — against Greenpeace and other environmental organizations. Although this SLAPP targets environmental organizations, Freedom of the Press Foundation discusses… Read More
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