Law Commons^™

Protecting Women's Voices: Preventing Retaliatory Defamation Claims In The #Metoo Context, Nicole Ligon

St. John's Law Review

(Excerpt)

As part of a personal commitment to positively utilize my legal skills, I joined the Legal Network for Gender Equity, a group of attorneys who support individuals seeking to come forward about their experiences with sexual harassment and assault. Through this network, I regularly counsel women who want to share their stories but are concerned that by doing so, they may open themselves up to costly defamation suits from their aggressors. Their concerns are not so much rooted in any notion that their stories are or could actually be defamatory. Instead, these concerns often stem from a recognition that …

Slapping Back In Federal Court: Florida’S Anti-Slapp Statute, Harris Blum

University of Miami Law Review

Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, or “SLAPPs,” are frivolous lawsuits used to silence and harass critics by forcing them to spend money on legal fees. An overwhelming majority of states have enacted anti-SLAPP statutes to shield against these lawsuits, recognizing their potential to chill free speech and healthy debate. Though anti-SLAPP statutes come in different shapes and sizes, they commonly employ procedural mechanisms such as expedited dismissal procedures, heightened standards at the pleading and summary judgment stages, and fee-shifting provisions. The unintended consequence of these features is that SLAPP filers can often elude the protections of anti-SLAPP statutes by filing …

(Anti)-Slapp Happy In Federal Court?: The Applicability Of State Anti-Slapp Statutes In Federal Court And The Need For Federal Protection Against Slapps, Caitlin Daday

Catholic University Law Review

In recent years, lawsuits known as Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, or SLAPPs, have become increasingly common. These suits seek to intimidate and punish people for exercising their First Amendment rights. In response to SLAPPs, over half of the states have enacted anti-SLAPP statutes to protect the targets of SLAPPs. They do so by providing a mechanism for the target to dismiss the lawsuit more quickly than they would normally be able to. In federal courts, the question has arisen as to whether anti-SLAPP statutes should be applied in diversity suits given their close alignment to Federal Rules 8, 12, …

Targeting The Texas Citizen Participation Act: The 2019 Texas Legislature's Amendments To A Most Consequential Law, Amy Bresnen, Lisa Kaufman, Steve Bresnen

St. Mary's Law Journal

Few Texas laws enacted in recent decades have had a greater impact on civil litigation or been more litigated than the Texas Citizen’s Participation Act (“TCPA”) passed in 2011. Despite its stated purpose of protecting First Amendment rights, as written, the TCPA’s seemingly limitless application confounded judges and litigants alike, causing the 86th Legislature in 2019 to pass sweeping changes to that law. The Article describes the original statute’s problematic nature, the caselaw interpreting it, and the recent changes’ legislative history and substance. The authors highlight contributions of key legislators and stakeholders. The Article’s extensive treatment of changes to key …

Review Law: New York Defamation Applied To Online Consumer Reviews, Ian Lewis-Slammon

St. John's Law Review

(Excerpt)

In early July 2017, Michelle Levine booked her first and only appointment with gynecologist Dr. Joon Song for an annual exam. Ms. Levine had a dissatisfying experience with the office. She claims that Dr. Song’s office did not follow up with her for almost a month, and that when she called to ask about the results of a blood test, Dr. Song’s staff falsely informed her that she tested positive for herpes. To top it off, Ms. Levine alleges that the office overcharged her. Following this experience, Ms. Levine did what many others do when dissatisfied with a product …

The Future Of Anti-Slapp Laws, Aaron Freeman

SLU Law Journal Online

Aaron Freeman explains that even though anti-SLAPP laws have become an important protection for the exercise of First Amendment rights, their future in federal courts is uncertain.

Adelson V. Harris, 133 Nev. Adv. Op. 67 (Sept. 27, 2017) (En Banc), David E. Chavez

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Nevada Supreme Court (en banc) held that (1) a hyperlink to source material concerning a judicial proceeding may qualify as a report within the common law fair report privilege; and (2) Nevada’s anti-SLAPP statute, as effective prior to the 2013 amendment, reaches communication “aimed at procuring any governmental or electoral action,” even if it is not addressed to a government agency.

Delucchi V. Songer, 133 Nev. Adv. Op. 42 (June 29, 2017), Krystina Butchart

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

No abstract provided.

Hb 513 - Civil Practice Act: Anti-Slapp, Pierre-Joseph Noebes, Rachel Reed

Georgia State University Law Review

The Act amends Georgia’s anti-SLAPP statute to expand its coverage from protecting the right to petition to also include protecting the right of free speech in connection with an issue of public interest or concern. Claims brought against those involved in such activities shall be subject to a motion to strike, unless the court determines that the non-moving party has established a probability that the claimant can prevail on the merits. If the moving party succeeds on a motion to strike,the court will award the party attorney’s fees and costs associated with the motion. Any order granting or denying a …

State Anti-Slapps And Erie: Murky, But Not Chilling, Yando Peralta

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

This Note compares the different treatment of state anti-SLAPP laws in federal courts, especially in light of the Supreme Court’s decision in Shady Grove. This Note posits two reasons why special motions to dismiss should not apply in federal courts sitting in diversity jurisdiction. First, state anti-SLAPPs conflict directly with Rules 12 and 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure because these Federal Rules directly address the question as to dismissal on the pleadings and on summary judgment. Second, a finding that the state anti-SLAPP procedures conflict with the Federal Rules will not frustrate legislatures’ interests in swatting down …

"Leave Little Guys Alone!": Protecting Small Businesses From Overly Litigious Corporations And Trademark Infringement Suits, Sara Marie Andrzejewski

Journal of Intellectual Property Law

No abstract provided.

A New Test To Reconcile The Right Of Publicity With Core First Amendment Values, Nat Stern, Mark Joseph Stern

Scholarly Publications

No abstract provided.

Anti-Slapp Confabulation & The Government Speech Doctrine, Steven J. Andre

Golden Gate University Law Review

NOTE: The attached article is an updated version of the print edition, 9Dec2014.

California was the first state to find judicial acceptance of the notion that government may avail itself of anti-SLAPP protections against private citizens who petition for redress of grievances. It is the purpose of this article to explore the judicial entrenchment of such a misguided balancing of government interests against constitutional rights, and to illustrate why it is shortsighted and a very harmful misinterpretation of otherwise very worthy and beneficial statutes.

Anti-Slapp Confabulation And The Government Speech Doctrine, Steven J. Andre

Steven J. Andre

This article describes the difficulty courts have in dealing with the government speech doctrine in relation to anti-SLAPP statutes. In particular, the article details the conflicts created in California by a misunderstanding of the government speech doctrine allowing government actors to utilize anti-SLAPP statutes against individuals exercising First Amendment rights.

Guilt By Association: How “Standby Co-Counsel” Exposes Attorneys To Malicious Prosecution Liability., Colleen V. Lisowski

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

Attorneys should not assume that lending their name to a case is a risk-free practice. The California appellate decision, Cole v. Patricia A. Meyer & Associates, answered the question of whether non-participating, standby co-counsel could be held liable for malicious prosecution by merely being listed as counsel of record. Cole established the clear message behind being aware of “co-counsel” risks. According to the court, co-counsel cannot escape liability if they failed to know enough about the case. By rejecting the “passive counsel” defense, Cole held that associated attorneys still have a duty to research the validity of a case even …

Government Movants For Anti-Slapp? Seriously? Seeking Needed Changes For Applying The California Anti-Slapp Law And The Government Speech Doctrine, Kevin R. Kemper

Kevin R Kemper

California courts have allowed governmental entities and employees to be movants under the anti-SLAPP law at California Civil Code of Procedure § 425.16. That means that those governmental entities and employees have been able to claim that government actions are protected acts of speech or petition under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The basic problem is that the First Amendment protects citizen speech and petition of citizens but not actions by government officials. This has been long established and recently affirmed in holdings by the U.S. Supreme Court. In June 2011, the Court in Nevada Commission on Ethics …

Slapplash: The Courts Finally Turn On California's Anti-Slapp Motion, M. Dylan Mcclelland

M. Dylan McClelland

An analysis of the California courts' backlash against SLAPP motion abuse, integrating the caselaw and analyzing strategic implications

A Slapp In The Face: Why Principles Of Federalism Suggest That Federal District Courts Should Stop Turning The Other Cheek, Lisa Litwiller

Lisa Litwiller

This article examines the nexus between state and federal law where SLAPP and Anti-SLAPP statutory schemes are litigated by a federal district court sitting in diversity. In particular, this article will explore the standard the federal court should apply when an Anti-SLAPP early motion to dismiss is brought by SLAPP defendant and the plaintiff challenges dismissal on the basis of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure pursuant to the regime established by the Supreme Court in Hannah v. Plumer.

A Slapp In The Face: Why Principles Of Federalism Suggest That Federal District Courts Should Stop Turning The Other Cheek, Lisa Litwiller

Lisa Litwiller

This article examines the nexus between state and federal law where SLAPP and Anti-SLAPP statutory schemes are litigated by a federal district court sitting in diversity. In particular, this article will explore the standard the federal court should apply when an Anti-SLAPP early motion to dismiss is brought by SLAPP defendant and the plaintiff challenges dismissal on the basis of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure pursuant to the regime established by the Supreme Court in Hannah v. Plumer.

Regulating Lobbyists: Law, Ethics, And Public Policy, Vincent R. Johnson

Faculty Articles

Though lobbyists have an ancient lineage and constitutional pedigree arising out of the constitutional right to petition government and to hire surrogates to do so, some types of lobbying can have detrimental effects on the performance of public duties, diminishing public confidence in government and weakening our democracy. However, in remediating these problems, we can look to tools already in existence and employed across the nation, rather than developing radically innovative solutions. The debate over how to regulate lobbyists is politically charged and bewildering; however, by augmenting present rules, the goal of greater lobbyist regulation can be achieved without reinventing …

Rent Control: Santa Monica Rent Control Bd. V Pearl Street, Llc, 2003, Roger Bernhardt

Publications

This article discusses a California case which held that a rent control board’s suit alleging that a landlord was not entitled to charge market rate rents was not a SLAPP suit because it was based on the alleged charging of unlawful rent, not the landlord’s act of filing documents with the board.