The Texas Citizens Participation Act (TCPA) is designed to protect the constitutional right of persons to speak freely, associate freely, and participate in government without the threat of an unmeritorious lawsuit being filed against them as a result. More particularly, it protects the rights of persons to speak out on “matters of public concern.” The
TCPA
Fifth Circuit Holds That the TCPA Does Not Apply in Federal Courts
By Sim Israeloff on
Posted in Civil Procedure, TCPA Anti-SLAPP
Resolving a longstanding uncertainty in federal district courts, the Fifth Circuit has held that the Texas Citizens Participation Act (TCPA) conflicts with federal procedural rules and therefore does not apply in diversity cases.
Continue Reading Fifth Circuit Holds That the TCPA Does Not Apply in Federal Courts
Plaintiffs avoid getting (anti) SLAPPed
By Helen Hutton on
Appellate courts in Texas have seen an influx of defamation, business disparagement, and other similar actions since 2011 when the Texas Citizens Participation Act (“TCPA”), Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §§ 27.001-27.011 (2015), was signed into law. The TCPA is an anti-SLAPP statute; SLAPP is an acronym for Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, which…