SLAPP
- Ohio Valley Allies
- 1 hour ago
- 4 min read
Speaking Truth Under Threat : A conversation with Brooke Christy about SLAPP suits, free speach and community protection
In this episode of Exposure, Stuart and Jill sit down with Brooke Christy, Equal Justice Works Fellow at Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services, to discuss one of the most pressing but least understood threats to environmental advocates: SLAPP suits—Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation.
What is a SLAPP suit?
A SLAPP suit—short for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation—is when corporations or powerful individuals use the civil litigation system as a weapon.
Even under normal circumstances, civil court is expensive, slow, and complicated. But with SLAPP suits, that process is deliberately drawn out, overcomplicated, and overly burdensome. The point isn’t to win the case—it’s to drain the target of money, time, and energy until they’re too exhausted to keep speaking out.
These lawsuits often accuse advocates of defamation or interfering with business, forcing them into years of motions, hearings, and paperwork. In the end, the real punishment isn’t the verdict—it’s the grinding, costly process itself, designed to inflict maximum pain on critics and scare others into silence.
Why it matters in Appalachia
In Appalachia—where extractive industries like oil, gas, coal, and petrochemicals hold immense political and financial power—the risk of SLAPP suits looms large. Many states still lack anti-SLAPP legislation, leaving advocates vulnerable. While Ohio recently passed protections, states like West Virginia remain without legal safeguards, creating a climate of fear for those who challenge industry.
Christy points out that even high-profile cases—like HBO’s John Oliver being sued by coal baron Bob Murray—required hundreds of thousands in legal fees to defend, despite the case’s absurdity. If massive media companies struggle under the weight of SLAPP suits, imagine what happens to a small community group with limited funds.
Protecting the right to speak
Fair Shake provides free and sliding-scale legal services to individuals, organizations, and coalitions across the Ohio River Valley. Their work includes:
Defending communities targeted by industry lawsuits.
Proactive guidance on how to speak publicly without inviting unnecessary risk.
Community Democracy programs, which help towns and grassroots groups engage in public processes before harm occurs.
Christy shares practical strategies: stick to facts, document evidence, cite sources, distinguish between personal opinion and provable claims, and always connect your advocacy to matters of public interest. These approaches not only strengthen credibility but also reduce vulnerability to litigation.
SLAPP is sanctioned censorship
While online censorship gets much of the media attention, SLAPP suits represent a far more insidious form of silencing—one conducted through the courts, where outcomes can permanently dismantle movements. As Frederick Douglass once noted, freedom of speech is the first right tyrants attack, because it protects all others.
Christy emphasizes that truth remains the strongest defense. By documenting evidence, collaborating with researchers, and working collectively, communities can push back against intimidation. But it also requires systemic reform, including federal anti-SLAPP protections to ensure that free speech is safeguarded nationwide.
Advocacy beyond the courtroom
This episode also highlights Fair Shake’s broader work—helping residents navigate oil and gas leases, supporting communities harmed by compressor stations, and even guiding ballot initiatives, like Pittsburgh’s successful move to protect its water system from privatization.
Christy underscores that advocacy takes many forms—whether marching, painting murals, drafting bylaws, or simply having conversations within families and schools. Every action contributes to collective resilience.
A Call to courage
The message of this episode is clear: don’t let fear of SLAPP suits silence you. While risks exist, staying informed, prepared, and united helps safeguard both our rights and our communities.
For more information or to seek legal support, visit Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services at https://www.fairshake-els.org/
Citations and Resources:
West Virginia (Anti-SLAPP Legal Guide) : Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, updated 2024
Ohio (Anti-SLAPP Legal Guide) : Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, updated 2025
Ohio Becomes the 35th State to Enact an Anti-SLAPP Statute : McKenna Brennan, Brennan, Manna & Diamond Law, Jan 2025
A coal exec sued John Oliver for calling him a ‘geriatric Dr. Evil.’ A judge tossed the case. : Amy B. Wang, Washington Post, Feb 26, 2018
John Oliver claims victory as Murray drops lawsuit : E&E News/Greenwire, Feb 2019
What to know about Greenpeace after the Dakota Access protest case decision : Associated Press, Sept 2023
Energy Transfer LP v. Greenpeace International : Sabin Center Climate Case Chart, Columbia Law School, 2023
House approves limits to using community air monitoring data despite concerns on constitutionality : Caity Coyne, West Virginia Watch, Feb 6, 2024
What is a SLAPP Suit? : ACLU of Ohio (PDF), 2014
Louisiana Hit with Federal Lawsuit Over De-Facto Ban on Use of Air Pollution Monitoring by Community Groups
Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Main Operating Appropriations Bill (HB 96) – Provisions on Community Air Monitoring
Disclaimer:
Exposure is an editorial and investigative journalism platform produced by Ohio Valley Allies. The views and opinions expressed by hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the organization or its affiliates.
Our mission is to investigate and document the impacts of extractive industries—including oil, gas, petrochemicals, and plastics—through in-depth interviews, research, and storytelling. We aim to expose the truth behind these industries’ operations and consequences using good-faith inquiry, verified sources, and the protections afforded to journalists under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
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