On Wednesday, Republican State legislators introduced a bill that would help prevent frivolous lawsuits and provide a protection to free speech.
State Senator Eric Wimberger and State Rep. Jim Piwowarczyk introduced legislation that they say will protect individuals from losing their right to free speech from “strategic lawsuit against public participation”, also known as SLAPP. According to Cornell Law, “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP suit) refers to lawsuits brought by individuals and entities to dissuade their critics from continuing to produce negative publicity.”
These suits are typically brought by big companies and corporations against an individual or company with significantly less legal means to silence them and bully them into silence. Typical targets are: journalists, whistleblowers, and popular activists. All of whom might speak out about a corporation or person in an undesirable way, sparking the plaintiff to bring forward a very expensive lawsuit.
The bill would let individuals quickly ask a court to throw out lawsuits tied to protected speech or participation in government proceedings. It also requires courts to act promptly and allows successful defendants to recover their attorney fees. (RELATED: Wisconsin Judge Unlawfully Joins Partisan Anti-Trump Protest)
In a press release, Piwowarczyk said, “This is not a Republican or Democrat issue; this is a free speech issue. In Wisconsin, we’ve seen frivolous lawsuits targeting First Amendment-protected speech used in an attempt to silence activists and journalists. While the rich and powerful may have unlimited resources to move forward with lawsuits, their targets do not, which may result in those people being silenced and forced to settle rather than engage in expensive and ongoing litigation. This legislation will help stop that.”
The 8-page bill adopts the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act. If enacted into law, Wisconsin would join 38 other states that have anti-SLAPP legislation. Our neighbors, Iowa, have passed similar legislation using the UPEPA act, becoming one of the first states to do so. (RELATED: Kaul Now Faces Familiar Opponent As His Record as AG comes under Scrutiny)
