State Law: SLAPPs

To guard against the chilling effect of SLAPPs, twenty-eight states, the District of Columbia, and one U.S. territory have enacted anti-SLAPP statutes. The U.S. jurisdictions with anti-SLAPP statutes are: Arizona; Arkansas; California; Delaware; District of Columbia; Florida; Guam; Georgia; Hawaii; Illinois; Indiana; Louisiana; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Minnesota; Missouri; Nebraska; Nevada; New Mexico; New York; Oklahoma; Oregon; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; Tennessee; Texas; Utah; Vermont; and Washington. Some other states' courts (notably Colorado and West Virginia) have recognized anti-SLAPP-like protection as a matter of case law.

State laws vary with regard to the protection offered against SLAPP suits. Consult the state sections below to learn more about whether the states listed have an anti-SLAPP law and, if so, how it works in practice. (Note that the guide does not include every state at this time.)

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