This was originally published several weeks ago, but in case you missed it, Glenn Greenwald at Salon.com had a wonderful exposé on the SLAPP tactics used by billionaire Romney SuperPAC donor and campaign finance co-chair Frank VanderSloot. (Greenwald’s article here.) VanderSloot had been threatening legal action against journalists who dared to write virtually anything about him — despite his obvious status as a public figure, against whom defamation is extremely difficult to show, and despite the fact the statements in question were, apparently, quite innocuous and factual in nature. Since Greenwald’s column, VanderSloot has refrained from threatening any further lawsuits. It pays to stand up to the legal bullying of SLAPP threats.
The Public Participation Project and Electronic Frontier Foundation also had insightful posts about VanderSloot and Greenwald’s column. (PPP post here; EFF post here.) To join the fight for federal anti-SLAPP legislation, click here.