House Judiciary committee to take up plan protecting against lawsuits intended to stifle speech
Rep. Kara Hope (D-Holt) speaks on the House floor on June 21, 2023. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols)
On Wednesday, members of the House Judiciary Committee will take testimony on a resurrected plan to defend Michiganders from lawsuits aimed at silencing individuals who speak out on issues of public concern.
Rep. Kara Hope (D-Holt) in January reintroduced her plan to allow Michigan courts to immediately dismiss strategic litigation against public participants, also known as a SLAPP suit.
In a news release, Hope's office notes these cases are often brought by wealthy plaintiffs against participants with fewer resources in hopes of intimidating or silencing the defendant.
'Representative Hope's bill gives Michiganders the ability to speak out on issues of public concern without fear of being sued,' Kaitlin Wolff, legislative program director at the Uniform Law Commission, said in a statement.
'A SLAPP suit is filed to bury its target in costly litigation and stifle speech, not to win. Thirty-five states have a law in place to address these frivolous suits, but Michigan does not,' Wolff said.
Hope called these types of cases an insult to First Amendment freedoms of expression, speech and association.
'This legislation will end this abuse of our legal system and ensure Michiganders the right to free speech without the fear of being sued and having to pay tens of thousands of dollars to defend themselves,' Hope said.
Hope's House Bill 4045 also includes protections from survivors of domestic and sexual violence and human trafficking.
'Anti-SLAPP laws are vital for empowering survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence and human trafficking,' said Heath Lowry, staff attorney and policy specialist at the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence. 'These laws offer crucial protection against lawsuits meant to silence and intimidate survivors, stripping perpetrators of yet another dangerous weapon.'
Hope's previous effort, House Bill 5788 passed the House in a 100-8 vote, but died in the Senate at the end of the Legislative term last year.
The House Judiciary will hold a hearing for the bill at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
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