Democrats propose anti-SLAPP legislation as Republican senator's lawsuit against Wausau publication

[RandySF]

Wisconsin Democrats proposed a bill on Wednesday that would protect activists, journalists and others from lawsuits meant to silence or intimidate them. It comes as state Sen. Cory Tomczyk (R-Mosinee) is continuing a lawsuit against a local Wausau publication, which has accused him of trying to bankrupt them.

The bill, co-authored by Sen. Melissa Agard (D-Madison) and Rep. Jimmy Anderson (D-Fitchburg), would allow a person being sued to file a motion to strike the lawsuit if it arises from their right of petition or free speech in connection with a public issue. Judges that find in a defendant’s favor could dismiss the lawsuit and order the plaintiff who filed the original suit to pay for the other person’s attorney fees and costs.

The Wausau Pilot & Review — a nonprofit, online publication with a staff of four — reported in 2021 that Tomczyk, before he was a state senator, called a 13-year-old a homophobic slur during a public meeting. Tomczyk denied using the slur and demanded a retraction. When the publication stood by its reporting, Tomczyk sued for defamation.

According to the New York Times, Tomczyk admitted in a deposition to having used the word before “out of joking and out of spite” about his gay brother. Tomczyk’s case was dismissed in April when a Marathon County court ruled he hadn’t met the legal standard for proving that the report defamed him. Tomczyk filed an appeal in June.

Shereen Siewert, founder and editor of the Wausau Pilot & Review, told the New York Times that she has already garnered about $150,000 in legal bills from the case and is concerned about how she will continue paying her staff of four and the mounting legal fees.



https://wisconsinexaminer.com/brief/democrats-propose-anti-slapp-legislation-as-republican-senators-lawsuit-against-wausau-publication-continues/

[2naSalit]

1. I hope it passes.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

2. A national anti-SLAPP law is also needed.

https://lawreview.law.uic.edu/news-stories/dont-let-them-slapp-you-around-the-case-for-federal-anti-slapp-legislation/

In September 2022, Representative Jamie Raskin introduced the SLAPP Protection Act to the U.S. House of Representatives.[1] This bill is the most recent attempt to address the growing trend of lawsuits filed to suppress critical speech.[2] SLAPP stands for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation.[3] These lawsuits bring baseless or unwarranted claims designed primarily to silence criticism by forcing the dissenting speakers to defend themselves in court, a process which frequently takes years and thousands of dollars to see through.[4] The result is intimidation and financial pressure that stymies debate and chills free speech.[5]