Joseph Brecher, an environmental attorney, educates us about SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) suits. These suits are malicious prosecution, perhaps when a large business or industry being sued could claim to be defamed and file a case against the complainant in an unfair response. It is a form of intimidation because the suits are filed against people who may not have deep pockets for legal defense. These lawsuits were used in environmental cases to scare people from filing a case.  This type of action causes an unequal balance and puts citizens at risk.  They were once known as “intimidation suits”. California has a strong anti-SLAPP law and defendants can move to have it dismissed.