The Government is supporting new legislation to end strategic lawsuits and Rebecca is supporting these reforms.
SLAPPs are legal actions typically brought by corporations or individuals with the intention of harassing, intimidating and financially or psychologically exhausting opponents via improper use of the legal system. SLAPPs are typically framed as defamation cases brought by wealthy individuals (including Russian oligarchs) or corporations to evade scrutiny in the public interest. They can occur across a broad spectrum of issues including data protection, privacy and environmental law. Actions are typically brought against investigative journalists, writers and publishers, and are designed to silence criticism.
SLAPPs characteristics include, but are not limited to, large numbers of aggressive pre-action letters, targeting a financially weak defendant and bringing claims simultaneously in multiple jurisdictions. At their heart SLAPPs fundamentally undermine freedom of speech and the rule of law.
The UK has an international reputation for upholding the rule of law and is a global centre for court-based dispute resolution and international arbitration, which attracts parties from across the globe to the UK to resolve their legal disputes. This is in part due to the quality and independence of our world-renowned judiciary and legal practitioners, but also to the fairness of our justice system. Our legal system also makes a very significant contribution to the UK economy.
Rebecca commented: “I am grateful this important legislation was brought forward, which will provide holistic protection for defendants in all SLAPPs cases, not just those that involve an element of economic crime. Media freedom and individual need to be protected from these aggressive legal cases.”
The Ministry of Justice’s SLAPPs Call for Evidence ran from March to May 2022 and provided an evidence base which informed the government’s legislative intentions. This included evidence about the severe psychological and financial impact these actions have on SLAPP victims.
The Government is committed to balancing individuals’ rights to protect their reputation with the right to free speech and access to justice.
