On August 29, the Alliance joined the Reporters Committee’s amicus brief supporting the proper interpretation of Washington’s new anti-SLAPP law which was based off the Uniform Law Commission’s model anti-SLAPP law UPEPA. The case—Jha v. Khan—is on appeal in the Washington Court of Appeals and marks the first appellate interpretation of UPEPA since it passed in WA last year. In this case, Jha sued Khan for an article Khan wrote criticizing her political opponent’s acceptance of campaign contributions from developers like Jha. Khan filed an anti-SLAPP motion to dismiss the lawsuit, because they were engaging in protected First Amendment activity. The lower court denied the anti-SLAPP motion to dismiss. The Reporters Committee argues that the lower court used an improper standard and asks the appellate court to overturn. The Alliance supports strong anti-SLAPP laws that protect news publishers from frivolous lawsuits that only serve to retaliate against protected First Amendment activity.
Members of the News/Media Alliance staff have contributed to this post.
