A “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation” (a SLAPP-suit) filed by Jonathan Gilbert—a Smyrna auto mechanic—against Horwitz Law, PLLC client Daylan Langford is now dismissed with prejudice under the Tennessee Public Participation Act, the Circuit Court for Rutherford County, Tennessee has ruled. The court also
By Daniel A. Horwitz: Strategic lawsuits against public participation—better known as “SLAPP-suits”—use the legal system to punish constitutionally protected speech.[1] The Tennessee Supreme Court has explained that “[t]he primary aim of a SLAPP is not to prevail on the merits, but rather to chill
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
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
In a precedent-setting, unanimous ruling, the Tennessee Court of Appeals has affirmed the first trial court judgment ever issued under the Tennessee Public Participation Act, Tennessee's recently enacted anti-SLAPP statute. The ruling establishes several critical precedents for free speech law in Tennessee, and it
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