Reply #30: SLAPP Action....

[Andy_Stephenson]

> I think this is a SLAPP action, not something where Diebold has any
> hope of winning in court. SLAPP stands for "Strategic Lawsuit to
> Prevent Public Participation." SLAPP actions have been honed to a
> fine edge in the world of environmental activism. The idea is to
> bury your opponents under legal costs that prevent their being heard
> in public debates about an issue during the key period when that
> debate can influence public policy or regulations.
>
> So, bring a SLAPP suit against some upstart kid who's trying to
> block you from leveling a mountain top. Sure, you've got to pay
> some legal fees to keep the suit going, but in the interim, he
doesn't
> have the time to do anything but fight your lawyers, so his defense
> of the mountain is never heard, you get your permit, and go ahead
> digging up the mountain. By the time the case gets thrown out of
> court, the whole issue is moot, and not only that, in addition
> to bankrupting that kid, you've terrified all of his friends. Every
> one of them will hesitate before trying to take you on in the future.
>
> The Sierra Club has written quite a bit on SLAPP actions, and many
> of their activists have had to face them.
>
> Doug Jones
> [email protected]
>