On July 29, the News/Media Alliance signed on to the Reporters Committee’s amicus brief arguing for strong anti-SLAPP protections. In Stabosz v. Friedman, Stabosz was sued for defamation and filed an anti-SLAPP motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Anti-SLAPP motions give defendants an early motion to dismiss frivolous cases where they are being sued for participating in constitutionally protected First Amendment activity. The lower court denied the defendant’s anti-SLAPP motion, even though the plaintiff provided no evidence of actual malice. The Reporters Committee filed an amicus brief in support of Stabosz arguing that a plaintiff is required to proffer evidence of actual malice in order to survive an anti-SLAPP motion and asks the appeals court to reverse and remand the lower court’s ruling on the anti-SLAPP motion. The Alliance continues to support robust anti-SLAPP laws that provide pivotal protections for news publishers. Read more.
Members of the News/Media Alliance staff have contributed to this post.
