It’s more common than it should be: someone says something that someone doesn’t like and that person or organization tries to use the courts to stop them from saying it. Having a right is all well and good, but it can be prohibitively expensive to fight for that right in court. Thankfully, California has a way for defendants to cut proceedings off before the cost gets out of control: an Anti-SLAPP motion.
Anti-SLAPP motions sound technical, but they can simplify proceedings for some defendants. They stand for “Anti-Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation.” In practice, they can be used to stop a lawsuit that is intended to stop someone from exercising their right to free speech.
These motions can be used to end frivolous lawsuits designed to shut critics up. They have been successfully used to shut down lawsuits brought by the government, companies, and individuals against their critics. If you believe someone is trying to stop you from expressing your freedom of speech, the Law Firm of Dillon McCarthy may be able to help.