Nebraska Anti-SLAPP Acts & Laws
Last updated 2017-06-26
Neb.Rev.St. § 25-21,241. Legislative findings and declarations
The Legislature finds and declares that:
(1) It is the policy of the state that the constitutional rights of citizens and organizations to be involved and participate freely in the process of government must be encouraged and safeguarded with great diligence. The information, reports, opinions, claims, arguments, and other expressions provided by citizens are vital to effective law enforcement, the operation of government, the making of public policy and decisions, and the continuation of representative democracy. The laws, courts, and other agencies of this state must provide the utmost protection for the free exercise of these petition, speech, and association rights;
(2) Civil actions for damages have been filed against citizens and organizations of this state as a result of the valid exercise of their constitutional rights to petition, speech, and association. There has been a disturbing increase in such strategic lawsuits against public participation in government;
(3) The threat of strategic lawsuits against public participation, personal liability, and burdensome litigation costs significantly chills and diminishes citizen participation in government, voluntary public service, and the exercise of these important constitutional rights. This abuse of the judicial process can and has been used as a means of intimidating, harassing, or punishing citizens and organizations for involving themselves in public affairs; and
(4) It is in the public interest and it is the purpose of sections 25-21,241 to 25-21,246 to strike a balance between the rights of persons to file lawsuits for injury and the constitutional rights of persons to petition, speech, and association, to protect and encourage public participation in government to the maximum extent permitted by law, to establish an efficient process for identification and adjudication of strategic lawsuits against public participation, and to provide for costs, attorney's fees, and actual damages.
Neb.Rev.St. § 25-21,242. Terms, defined
For purposes of sections 25-21,241 to 25-21,246:
(1) Action involving public petition and participation shall mean an action, claim, cross-claim, or counterclaim for damages that is brought by a public applicant or permittee and is materially related to any efforts of the defendant to report on, comment on, rule on, challenge, or oppose the application or permission;
(2) Communication shall mean any statement, claim, allegation in a proceeding, decision, protest, writing, argument, contention, or other expression;
(3) Government body shall mean a city, a village, a political subdivision, a state agency, the state, the federal government, or a public authority, board, or commission; and
(4) Public applicant or permittee shall mean any person who has applied for or obtained a permit, zoning change, lease, license, certificate, or other entitlement for use or permission to act from any government body or any person with an interest, connection, or affiliation with such person that is materially related to such application or permission.
Neb.Rev.St. § 25-21,243. Defendant in action involving public petition and participation; action authorized; costs, attorney's fees, and damages; authorized; waiver; section, how construed
(1) A defendant in an action involving public petition and participation may maintain an action, claim, cross-claim, or counterclaim to recover damages, including costs and attorney's fees, from any person who commenced or continued such action. Costs and attorney's fees may be recovered upon a demonstration that the action involving public petition and participation was commenced or continued without a substantial basis in fact and law and could not be supported by a substantial argument for the extension, modification, or reversal of existing law. Other compensatory damages may only be recovered upon an additional demonstration that the action involving public petition and participation was commenced or continued for the purpose of harassing, intimidating, punishing, or otherwise maliciously inhibiting the free exercise of petition, speech, or association rights.
(2) The right to bring an action, claim, cross-claim, or counterclaim under this section may be waived only if it is waived specifically.
(3) Nothing in this section shall affect or preclude the right of any party to any recovery otherwise authorized by common law or by statute, rule, or regulation.
Neb.Rev.St. § 25-21,244. Action involving public petition and participation; damages; standard of proof; section, how construed
(1) In an action involving public petition and participation, the plaintiff may recover damages, including costs and attorney's fees, only if he or she, in addition to all other necessary elements, has established by clear and convincing evidence that any communication which gives rise to the action was made with knowledge of its falsity or with reckless disregard of whether it was false, if the truth or falsity of such communication is material to the cause of action at issue.
(2) Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit any constitutional, statutory, or common-law protections of defendants to actions involving public petition and participation.
Neb.Rev.St. § 25-21,245. Action involving public petition and participation; motion to dismiss; when granted; duty to expedite
A motion to dismiss based on a failure to state a cause of action shall be granted when the moving party demonstrates that the action, claim, cross-claim, or counterclaim subject to the motion is an action involving public petition and participation unless the party responding to the motion demonstrates that the cause of action has a substantial basis in law or is supported by a substantial argument for an extension, modification, or reversal of existing law. The court shall expedite and grant preference in the hearing of such motion.
Neb.Rev.St. § 25-21,246. Action involving public petition and participation; motion for summary judgment; when granted
A motion for summary judgment shall be granted when the moving party has demonstrated that the action, claim, cross-claim, or counterclaim subject to the motion is an action involving public petition and participation unless the party responding to the motion demonstrates that the action, claim, cross-claim, or counterclaim has a substantial basis in fact and law or is supported by a substantial argument for an extension, modification, or reversal of existing law. The court shall grant preference in the hearing of such motion.
UNIFORM LAWS PROJECT
Drafting Committee for a Uniform Anti-SLAPP Act (mostly lately called the "Uniform Public Expression Protection Act"), began its project in 2017 and hopes to submit final Uniform Act by 2020. The author of this website, Jay D. Adkisson, is the American Bar Association's Business Law Section Adviser to this Committee, and the originator of this Uniform Law Commission project. Click here for more.
ARTICLES ON ANTI-SLAPP
2020.07.20 ... Uniform Law Commission Approves New Anti-SLAPP Law In Time For Consideration By New York Legislature
2017.01.13 ... Minnesota Court Of Appeals Boots Clear And Convincing Anti-SLAPP Burden Of Proof
2015.8.29 ... A Call For A Uniform Anti-SLAPP Act
UNITED STATES ANTI-SLAPP LAWS
Arizona ..... A.R.S. § 12-751, et seq.
Alabama ..... No Anti-SLAPP statute when last checked.
Alaska ..... No Anti-SLAPP statute when last checked.
Arkansas ..... A.C.A. § 16-63-502, et seq.
California ..... C.C.P. § 425.16, et seq.
Colorado ..... No Anti-SLAPP statute when last checked.
Connecticut ..... No Anti-SLAPP statute when last checked.
Delaware ..... 10 Del.C. § 8136, et seq.
Florida ..... F.S. § 768.295
Georgia ..... Ga.C. § 9-11-11.1.
Hawaii ..... HRS § 634F-1, et seq.
Idaho ..... No Anti-SLAPP statute when last checked.
Illinois ..... 735 ILCS 110/1, et seq.
Indiana ..... I.C. § 34-7-7-1, et seq.
Iowa ..... No Anti-SLAPP statute when last checked.
Kansas ..... Kan.Stat. § 60-5320
Kentucky ..... No Anti-SLAPP statute when last checked.
Louisiana ..... C.C.P. Art. 971
Maine ..... 14 Me.R.S. § 556
Maryland ..... MD Code, Courts & Jud. Proceedings § 5-807
Massachusetts ..... M.G.L. 231 § 59H
Michigan ..... No Anti-SLAPP statute when last checked.
Minnesota ..... Mn.Stat. § 554.01, et seq.
Mississippi ..... No Anti-SLAPP statute when last checked.
Missouri ..... Mo.Stat. § 537.528
Montana ..... No Anti-SLAPP statute when last checked.
Nebraska ..... Neb.Rev.Stat. § 25-21, 242, et seq.
Nevada ..... N.R.S. § 41.635, et seq.
New Hampshire ..... No Anti-SLAPP statute when last checked.
New Jersey ..... No Anti-SLAPP statute when last checked.
New Mexico ..... N.Mex.Stat. § 38-2-9.1, et seq.
New York ..... N.Y.Civ.Rights.L. § 70-a.
North Carolina ..... No Anti-SLAPP statute when last checked.
North Dakota ..... No Anti-SLAPP statute when last checked.
Ohio ..... No Anti-SLAPP statute when last checked.
Oklahoma ..... Okla.Stat. § 12-1430, et seq.
Oregon ..... O.R.S. § 31.150, et seq.
Pennsylvania ..... 27 Pa.C.S.A. § 7707.
Rhode Island ..... R.I.Gen.Laws § 9-33-1, et seq.
South Carolina ..... No Anti-SLAPP statute when last checked.
South Dakota ..... No Anti-SLAPP statute when last checked.
Tennessee ..... Tenn.Stat. § 4-21-1001, et seq.
Texas ..... Tex.Civ.Prac. & Rem.Code § 27.001, et seq.
Utah ..... Utah Code § 78B-6-1401, et seq.
Vermont ..... 12 V.S. § 1041.
Virginia ..... No Anti-SLAPP statute when last checked.
Washington ..... Wa.Stat. § 4.24.525.
West Virginia ..... No Anti-SLAPP statute when last checked.
Wisconsin ..... No Anti-SLAPP statute when last checked.
Wyoming ..... No Anti-SLAPP statute when last checked.
District of Columbia ..... D.C.St. § 16-5501, et seq.
Guam ..... 7 G.C.A. § 17101, et seq.
Puerto Rico ..... No Anti-SLAPP statute when last checked.
U.S. Virgin Islands ..... No Anti-SLAPP statute when last checked.
FEDERAL LEGISLATION: Speak Free Act of 2015 (not enacted, presumed dead).
OTHER INFORMATIONAL WEBSITES
by Jay D. Adkisson
- Jay Adkisson - More about Jay D. Adkisson, background, books, articles, speaking appearances.
- Captive Insurance Companies - Licensed insurance companies formed by the parent organization to handle the insurance and risk management needs of the business, by the author of the best-selling book on the topic: Adkisson's Captive Insurance Companies.
- Asset Protection Book - The all-time best-selling book on asset protection planning by Jay Adkisson and Chris Riser.
- Judgment Collection - An explanation of common creditor remedies, strategies and tactics to enforce a judgment, including a discussion of common debtor asset protection strategies.
- Voidable Transactions - Discussion of the Uniform Voidable Transactions Act (a/k/a 2014 Revision of the Uniform Fraudulent Transfers Act) and fraudulent transfer law in general.
- Private Retirement Plans - An exploration of a unique creditor exemption allowed under California law which can be very beneficial but is often misused.
- Charging Orders - The confusing remedy against a debtor's interest in an LLC or partnership is explained in reference to the Uniform Partnership Act, the Uniform Limited Partnership Act, and the Uniform Limited Liability Company Act.
- Protected Series LLCs - An examination of the single most complex statutory legal structure yet created, with particular reference to the Uniform Protected Series Act of 2017.
- California Enforcement of Judgments Law - Considers the topic of judgment enforcement in California, including the California Enforcement of Judgments Law and other laws related to California creditor-debtor issues.
© 2020 by Jay D. Adkisson. All Rights Reserved. No claim to original government works. The information contained in this website is for general educational purposes only, does not constitute any legal advice or opinion, and should not be relied upon in relation to particular cases. Use this information at your own peril; it is no substitute for the legal advice or opinion of an attorney licensed to practice law in the appropriate jurisdiction. Questions about this website should be directed to jay [at] jayad.com or by phone to 702-953-9617 or by fax to 877-698-0678. This website is https://antislapplaws.com