{"id":4103,"date":"2023-11-03T06:53:36","date_gmt":"2023-11-03T10:53:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townunderground.com\/?p=4103"},"modified":"2023-11-03T06:53:36","modified_gmt":"2023-11-03T10:53:36","slug":"report-new-hampshire-gets-f-grade-for-failure-to-protect-citizens-from-frivolous-speech-suppressing-lawsuits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townunderground.com\/?p=4103","title":{"rendered":"Report: New Hampshire Gets \u201cF\u201d Grade for Failure to Protect Citizens from Frivolous, Speech-Suppressing Lawsuits"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For Immediate Release
Date: November 2, 2023
Media Contact:
Tom Garrett (Chief Communications Officer – Institute for Free Speech<\/a>)
tgarrett@ifs.org tgarrett@ifs.org<\/a> \/ 202-301-9200<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Report: New Hampshire Gets \u201cF\u201d Grade for Failure to Protect Citizens from Frivolous, Speech-Suppressing Lawsuits<\/strong>

The new Institute for Free Speech report analyzes each state\u2019s laws, showing that New Hampshire is one of a dwindling number of states that lack such protections<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s a key takeaway from the 2023 Anti-SLAPP Report Card<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new report details and rates state-by-state legal protections against \u201cSLAPP\u201d suits, which stands for \u201cstrategic litigation against public participation.\u201d Unscrupulous plaintiffs abuse the legal system by using SLAPPs to prevent speakers from exercising their First Amendment rights, suppressing, punishing, or chilling speech that the plaintiff doesn\u2019t like. Such a litigant typically claims that the speech constitutes defamation, suing speakers to harass, silence, or force them to bear significant litigation costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anti-SLAPP statutes provide protections against these suits, but the strength of those protections varies widely from state to state. Thankfully, the Institute\u2019s new report shows a trend toward more and stronger anti-SLAPP laws.  

However, New Hampshire isn\u2019t part of that trend. Instead, the state lags behind most of the rest of the country, failing to have any kind of anti-SLAPP statute on the books. That failure leaves New Hampshire with a grade of \u201cF\u201d in the new report, with a score of 0 out of a possible 100 points.
 
Despite New Hampshire\u2019s poor result, the report shows a general nationwide trend toward stronger protections, with anti-SLAPP laws now covering 33 states plus the District of Columbia. For the first time, a majority of Americans have good protection. Yet, states like New Hampshire still have no laws protecting their citizens from SLAPP suits, putting those Americans\u2019 rights to speak or publish at significant risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top-line points in the report include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n