Graves Garrett Greim attorneys George Lewis and Matt Mueller recently achieved a substantial legal victory on behalf of a client currently serving our country overseas as a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force.

The client was sued for defamation, among other claims, based on posts he made on Yelp and Facebook regarding services a local business provided. Although the case had been pending for nearly five years, GGG’s representation began only a few short months ago. After swiftly filing a motion to strike under the Kansas Public Speech Protection Act, Lewis and Mueller briefed and argued that the anti-Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) statute required dismissal.

Just weeks after a hearing on the motion — and only two months after GGG became involved in the case — the Court dismissed all claims with prejudice and ordered the plaintiff to pay the client’s attorney’s fees, a significant win for the client in addition to avoiding the time, burden, and expense of engaging in further litigation.

The Kansas Public Speech Protection Act provides safeguards to protect defendants from “SLAPP” suits. Under the right circumstances, defendants who are sued for engaging in protected speech on issues of public interest can use the anti-SLAPP to quickly dispose of the claims against them.

With its deep knowledge of defamation law, the First Amendment, and the intersection between the two, GGG has defended and prosecuted defamation actions across the country and has prevailed on anti-SLAPP motions in several jurisdictions.