Bills to End Virginia Lawsuit Tourism Pass Virginia House and State Committees

Protect the Protest Pushes for Anti-SLAPP Legislation to Stop Lawsuits
Designed to Silence Free Speech

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RICHMOND, VA – Committees in both the Virginia House of Delegates and Virginia Senate have passed legislation to stop lawsuits designed to silence free speech. The committees’ approvals set up a floor vote on Tuesday in both bodies to finally end Virginia’s dubious distinction as a national destination for SLAPP lawsuit tourism.

Today Virginia’s SenateJudiciary Committee unanimously passed legislation to stop SLAPP lawsuits. OnFriday the House Courts of Justice Committee passed similar legislation tostrengthen Virginia’s anti-SLAPP restrictions by a bipartisan 9-4 vote. Thefull House and Senate will each vote on their committee’s bills tomorrow.

ExecutiveDirector of the International Corporate Accountability Roundtable (ICAR) andsecretariat of the Protect the Protest task force Alison Friedman called theprogress on the Virginia bills a big victory for individuals and publicinterest organizations that face these lawsuits, which are designed tointimidate and financially wreck their targets.

“Virginia ismoving closer to finally passing strong and effective SLAPP legislation,”Friedman said. “Soon wealthy corporations and individuals like Californiacongressman Devin Nunes will no longer be able to come to Virginia to sue theiropponents into submission.”

ICAR serves asSecretariat of the Protectthe Protest Task Force—a national coalition of social justice, civil rights, and environmental organizations—that works to combat andend the threat of SLAPPs in the United States.

Contact:
David McKean
david@icar.ngo
619.203.4991