jms@unix386.Convergent.COM (John Sully) (03/01/90)
In article <7945@yunexus.UUCP>, davecb@yunexus.UUCP (David Collier-Brown) writes: | eli@spdcc.COM (Steve Elias) writes: | [in a discussion of threatened legal action for stating an opinion] | The term "vexatious litigation" comes to mind... somehow these | actions never seem to actually occur. I suspect they're urban legends. | I can't comment on U.S. law, but I do recollect a person backing out of | such an action with amazing aclarity when one of his colleagues mentioned | the law society... Actually this is apparently becoming an increasingly common practice and is known as a SLAPP suit. These suits are typically being brought by developers against local activits who dare to voice their negative opinion of proposed developments. (the source for this is a story seen on MacNeil/Lehrer about the middle of 2/90). This story did not cite any suits which were won, but the point is to scare people into not voicing their opinions on matters of public interest.