SLAPP Suits

Greenpeace Is Being ‘SLAPPed’ Again By Another Fossil Fuel Giant

October 13, 2024 The Canary. Educate! climate crisis, ENI, Greenpeace, Oil and Gas Industry, ReCommon, SLAPP Suits

Italian fossil fuel company ENI has filed an official Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP), targeting two organisations, Greenpeace Italy and ReCommon. It is the latest fossil fuel major to launch an ill-founded legal assault at a Greenpeace organisation, joining Shell, Total, and Energy Transfer in an attack against civil freedoms and environmental protection. “There is no surprise in ENI joining other climate polluters like Shell, TotalEnergies and Energy Transfer in trying to silence civil society. The business model of the oil and gas industry entails both an assault on people and nature, as well as oppression of those who call it out,” stated Greenpeace Italy and ReCommon.

Campaigners Sued An Oil Major; Now The Company Is Preparing To Sue Them

August 28, 2023 Emily Sanders, DeSmog. Educate! Big Oil, ExxonMobil, Legal System, SLAPP Suits

In May, NGOs and citizens sued Italian oil giant Eni for its decades of lobbying and greenwashing to delay climate action. Barely two months later, Eni has laid the groundwork for a lawsuit of its own, alleging it has been harmed by a “massive campaign” of “serious defamatory declarations.” The move is indicative of a worldwide escalation of a legal tactic intended to cow critics into silence: SLAPPs — or strategic lawsuits against public participation. Enmeshing activists in lengthy legal proceedings can drain their time and resources — a win for the company even if it loses in court.

The Real Threat To Free Speech? Florida’s Courts

February 24, 2021 Sun Sentinel Editorial Board. Educate! Environment, Florida, Free Speech, SLAPP Suits

Gov. Ron DeSantis and some other Florida Republicans are worked up over a perceived threat to the freedom of speech of politicians, but they’re ignoring a more significant threat to the public’s right to speak. They’re upset that Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms have begun to suppress posts they deem flagrantly false or socially offensive, particularly those from their favorite ex-president. But that isn’t a First Amendment issue. Those are private corporations, not government entities. The legitimate First Amendment threat they are ignoring is the misuse of Florida’s courts to suppress and punish attempts by citizens to influence government agencies on issues involving public versus private interests.

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