Index on Censorship just launched the new Am I Facing a SLAPP? tool – a resource of support to anyone facing a legal battle with the potential aim of silencing them. Leading anti-SLAPP experts helped develop the tool using a robust methodology.
How can one tell a strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP) from other lawsuits? Developed by Index on Censorship with support from the Justice For Journalists Foundation and the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, this new tool is designed to help journalists, whistleblowers, activists, scholars, publishers, social media users, and survivors of sexual abuse determine if the legal case they are facing might constitute a SLAPP.
The tool works as a questionnaire and tests multiple aspects of a potential SLAPP, covering both legal threats (when a lawsuit has not yet been filed) and legal actions (when proceedings have begun). The result is measured by a score from 1 to 10: The higher the score, the more likely the case resembles a SLAPP. The tool is based on comprehensive research, including relevant legislative initiatives, court decisions, and the work of the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition and the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE), among others. Learn more about the methodology here.
The experts who helped develop the tool are:
- Dr Francesca Farrington, Co-convener Anti-SLAPP Research Hub, Aberdeen University
- Charlie Holt, Europe Lead, Global Climate Legal Defense (CliDef)
- Vanja Juric, Lawyer
- Flutura Kusari, Legal Advisor, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom
- Professor Tarlach McGonagle, Programme Director of the Master Information Law and Associate Professor at Institute for Information Law, University of Amsterdam
- Rosalind McInnes, Legal Director, BBC Scotland
- Jessica Ní Mhianin, Head of Policy and Campaigns, Index on Censorship
- Alexander Papachristou, Executive Director, Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice
- Gill Phillips, Editorial Legal Consultant
- Professor Dirk Voorhoof, Professor Emeritus, Freedom of Expression, Human Rights Centre, Ghent University
- Nik Williams, Policy and Campaigns Officer, Index on Censorship
Access the Am I Facing a SLAPP? here.
*Index on Censorship warns that the tool does not substitute legal advice.