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May 31, 2018, New York – In conjunction with a court hearing in San Francisco in a lawsuit filed against Greenpeace by Resolute Forest Products, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) issued the following statement:
This Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) targets clearly protected expression, suing over activists’ claims that Resolute Forest Products is destroying the Canadian boreal forest and recasting a collective political effort as a “conspiracy.” The court has already dismissed Resolute’s case once. It should do so again, dismissing Resolute’s attempt to repackage the same allegations in a new complaint.
Like any baseless lawsuit, Resolute’s goal is not winning in court, but burdening activists with litigation so that they cannot continue their activism. Even if the court does the right thing, support for these activists must not be limited to a courtroom win. We encourage the public to learn more about the efforts that sparked the lawsuit in the first place. SLAPPs should spark the opposite of what plaintiffs hope: more attention to the defendants’ activism.
The Center for Constitutional Rights works with communities under threat to fight for justice and liberation through litigation, advocacy, and strategic communications. Since 1966, the Center for Constitutional Rights has taken on oppressive systems of power, including structural racism, gender oppression, economic inequity, and governmental overreach. Learn more at ccrjustice.org.