Stages of a SLAPP Suit
If you aren’t a lawyer, you may have figured out that the lawsuit filed against you is a SLAPP, but you probably don’t know how a SLAPP suit works and what the procedural stages of the lawsuit are. This post … Read the rest
Author: Ryan Metheny
U.K. to Enact Libel Reform Law
Story here and here. Kudos to the Index on Censorship for leading the Libel Reform Campaign.
Britain’s archaic libel laws (not officially reformed since 1843!) have long been exploited by those seeking to chill the free speech rights … Read the rest
Personal Court Reporters, Inc. v. Rand, and the Problem of Frivolous Anti-SLAPP Motions
Recently, the California anti-SLAPP statute has come under criticism from some quarters — including, most notably, a panel of justices at the First District Court of Appeal — for its potential for abuse by cagey or unscrupulous defendants. (See the … Read the rest
What To Do When Your Internet Service Provider Tells You Your Information Has Been Subpoenaed
Finding out that someone has issued a subpoena to your internet service provider seeking information about you is scary. But do not despair! This post will give you some information about what this means and what you can do when … Read the rest
DMCA Take-Down Notices and the Need for Federal Anti-SLAPP Legislation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has a great story up on their DeepLinks blog about the latest abuse of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s take-down notice provisions. It seems that Rush Limbaugh has hopped on the bandwagon of public figures who … Read the rest
A Rather Amazing (Possible) SLAPP…
Kudos to TechDirt for catching this rather amazing SLAPP in which a judge, of all people, decided to sue a newspaper for publishing an editorial about a lawsuit the newspaper lost in a case presided over by that very judge. … Read the rest
Proposed Arizona Law May Violate First Amendment, Even As Amended (EDITED)
(See edits to the original post at the end of this page.)
In the past week or so, an online brouhaha has swelled in response to the Arizona legislature’s passage of a bill that would criminalize any “harassing” and “obscene” … Read the rest
U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Absolute Immunity for Grand Jury Witnesses
Earlier this week, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision in the case of Rehberg v. Palk upholding absolute immunity for witnesses at federal grand jury proceedings. This was a major win for those of us who believe in … Read the rest
Snyder v. Phelps and the Public/Private Distinction in First Amendment Law
The relationship between the First Amendment’s protections for free speech and the common law’s tort remedies for victims of defamatory or otherwise damaging statements has always been a complex one. As U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan pointed out before … Read the rest
Billionaire Romney Donor Used SLAPP Tactics to Silence Critics (In Case You Missed It)
This was originally published several weeks ago, but in case you missed it, Glenn Greenwald at Salon.com had a wonderful exposé on the SLAPP tactics used by billionaire Romney SuperPAC donor and campaign finance co-chair Frank VanderSloot. (Greenwald’s article here… Read the rest