A trial court's order denying Horwitz Law, PLLC clients Linda Ward and Caledonia Forest's Tennessee Public Participation Act Petition to Dismiss must be reversed and remanded, the Tennessee Court of Appeals has ruled. The ruling sets multiple important precedents under the Tennessee Public Participation Act,
Three Aldermen who sued their constituents for petitioning them about local issues must pay their constituents' appellate attorney's fees, the Tennessee Court of Appeals has ruled. The appeal arose from a trial court’s January 23, 2024 order dismissing a “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation” (a
A trial court’s January 23, 2024 order dismissing a “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation” (a SLAPP-suit) filed by three City of Fayetteville Aldermen against two citizens who petitioned them is now final. Although the Aldermen initially filed a Notice of Appeal after losing in the trial court, whether
Former District 35 Councilman Dave Rosenberg has been awarded $100,000.00 in sanctions after earlier prevailing against a defamation lawsuit filed by failed Tennessee House candidate and former District 35 challenger Michelle Foreman. A copy of the Court's sanctions order—the largest sanction ever awarded
District 35 Councilman Dave Rosenberg has prevailed in full against a $300,000.00 defamation lawsuit filed by failed Tennessee House candidate and former District 35 challenger Michelle Foreman, a judge has ruled. The ruling marks yet another win for defendants targeted by Strategic Lawsuits Against
A trial court's order denying Horwitz Law, PLLC clients Joshua and Leah Debity's Tennessee Public Participation Act Petition to Dismiss must be vacated, the Tennessee Court of Appeals has ruled. The trial court's "incorporated oral ruling does not indicate why the trial court dismissed
By Daniel A. Horwitz (Republished from the Tennessee Free Speech Blog): In 2019, Tennessee’s free speech law underwent a sea change. The Tennessee Public Participation Act—Tennessee’s first-ever meaningful anti-SLAPP law—took effect, ushering in a host of critical protections for people sued for defamation (libel
The second-ever anti-SLAPP petition filed under the Tennessee Public Participation Act (TPPA)—Tennessee’s new anti-SLAPP statute—has officially been granted, accompanied by the largest fee-shifting award ($26,500.00) ever awarded in a defamation case filed in Tennessee. The final order—granted by Davidson County Circuit Court Judge Joe
On July 1, 2019, the Tennessee Public Participation Act—Tennessee's first meaningful anti-SLAPP statute—took effect. The statute dramatically expanded the scope of speech that receives heightened legal protection in Tennessee. It also equips people targeted by Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation ("SLAPP-suits") with important tools