anti-SLAPP law
noun
an·ti-SLAPP law
ˌan-tē-ˈslap- 
ˌan-tī-
plural anti-SLAPP laws
: a law intended to prevent SLAPP suits
Ken Paulson, who directs the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University, said anti-SLAPP laws are like "free-speech insurance." "The key to an anti-SLAPP law is to prevent people with a lot of money and resources from intimidating people from saying anything negative about them," he said.—
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Kim BellwareExamples of anti-SLAPP law in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The big picture: North Carolina is one of a handful of states without an anti-SLAPP law, according to the Institute for Free Speech, which protects people from frivolous lawsuits intended to keep them quiet.
—Alexandria Sands, Axios, 2 Apr. 2025
Such an outcome would have an obvious chilling effect on other environmental groups – the kind of result that anti-SLAPP laws are designed to prevent.
—Jennifer Safstrom, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2025
As of January, 35 states and the District of Columbia have anti-SLAPP laws, according to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
—Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
Protection varies from state to state Unlike many other states, North Dakota does not have an anti-SLAPP law.
—Jennifer Safstrom, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2025
Sloane’s legal team is also asking Judge Lewis Liman to award them legal fees under New York’s anti-SLAPP law, which protects against lawsuits intended to suppress free speech — particularly those filed by people with bottomless funds.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2025
Baldoni’s team filed the suit in federal court in New York — even though California law governs her contract — meaning that Lively and the other defendants will not be able to avail themselves of the California anti-SLAPP law.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 24 Jan. 2025
Thirty-five states and Washington, D.C., now have anti-SLAPP laws in place, which generally offer defendants a way to avoid high costs and deter those who might file them early on in litigation, according to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
—Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 13 Jan. 2025
However, in February 2023, lawyers for SmileDirectClub appealed the decision before the Tennessee Court of Appeals, continuing to accuse NBC of defamation as well as questioning the constitutionality of the anti-SLAPP law — the first major test of the 5-year-old state law.
—Angele Latham, The Tennessean, 23 Sep. 2024
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Alexandria Sands, Axios, 2 Apr. 2025
Such an outcome would have an obvious chilling effect on other environmental groups – the kind of result that anti-SLAPP laws are designed to prevent.
—Jennifer Safstrom, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2025
As of January, 35 states and the District of Columbia have anti-SLAPP laws, according to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
—Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
Protection varies from state to state Unlike many other states, North Dakota does not have an anti-SLAPP law.
—Jennifer Safstrom, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2025
Sloane’s legal team is also asking Judge Lewis Liman to award them legal fees under New York’s anti-SLAPP law, which protects against lawsuits intended to suppress free speech — particularly those filed by people with bottomless funds.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2025
Baldoni’s team filed the suit in federal court in New York — even though California law governs her contract — meaning that Lively and the other defendants will not be able to avail themselves of the California anti-SLAPP law.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 24 Jan. 2025
Thirty-five states and Washington, D.C., now have anti-SLAPP laws in place, which generally offer defendants a way to avoid high costs and deter those who might file them early on in litigation, according to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
—Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 13 Jan. 2025
However, in February 2023, lawyers for SmileDirectClub appealed the decision before the Tennessee Court of Appeals, continuing to accuse NBC of defamation as well as questioning the constitutionality of the anti-SLAPP law — the first major test of the 5-year-old state law.
—Angele Latham, The Tennessean, 23 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Anti-SLAPP law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anti-SLAPP%20law. Accessed 7 May. 2025.
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