On April 27, the European Commission released its proposed Directive on anti-SLAPP law. Anti-SLAPP laws seek to prevent entities from filing costly and frivolous lawsuits called SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) suits that seek to punish protected speech it disagrees with. Even if the case is frivolous, they can force their opponents to incur costly legal fees in defending the case. Strong anti-SLAPP laws, like the Directive released today, includes an early motion to dismiss, a fee provision requiring the frivolous lawsuit filer to pay the other party’s legal expenses, and other safeguards The Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) released a study explaining how SLAPPs threaten democracy in Europe and explaining the crucial need for anti-SLAPP legislation. The Alliance applauds the European Commission for taking critical action to protect news publishers from predatory lawsuits. Read more.
Members of the News/Media Alliance staff have contributed to this post.
