Garden State Times

Legislation sponsored by Senator Jon Bramnick aimed at addressing Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) suits was signed into law today by Governor Murphy. Bramnick expressed his satisfaction, stating, "I'm proud that the Governor signed this bill into law. Many states throughout the country have enacted legislation specifically aimed at discouraging SLAPP suits. Unfortunately, those statutes did not exist in New Jersey."

The new law, known as S-2802/A-4393, establishes an expedited process to dismiss SLAPP suits and ensures that individuals can exercise their First Amendment rights without the fear of being burdened by legal proceedings. Bramnick explained, "Typically, Anti-SLAPP suit laws allow the defendant in a suit to file a motion that permits the court to dismiss the lawsuit for being without merit. My legislation will enact something similar in New Jersey."

Under this legislation, if a lawsuit is deemed to be a SLAPP suit and is dismissed accordingly, the court will award reasonable attorney's fees and litigation expenses to the party against whom the SLAPP suit was filed. SLAPP suits are meritless civil actions brought against individuals who voice their opinions on public issues, with the intention of causing financial harm through legal defense costs.

The enactment of this bill in New Jersey aims to protect individuals from the misuse of legal action to silence public participation and ensures that freedom of speech is upheld without the threat of retaliatory lawsuits.