Wyoming Lawmakers Push New Legislation to Block Retaliatory Free-Speech Lawsuits
“SLAPPs are usually civil complaints brought by powerful people to silence critics through the stress and high costs of lawsuits regardless of their legal merits,” reported WyoFile, framing the central issue behind a new legislative push in Wyoming.
Wyoming lawmakers sponsored a bill Monday that aims to block lawsuits intended to silence free speech. The full Legislature will consider the proposed measure during the legislative session in January.
Addressing a Persistent Legal Gap After Previous Failures
Out of all US states, Wyoming continues to be counted among the few lacking legislation aimed at halting strategic lawsuits against public participation, which are widely referred to as anti-SLAPP statutes. These legal actions are designed to protect people who face retaliatory litigation for speaking out on matters of public concern. Following two consecutive years of failed attempts, state legislators are making another push to enact an anti-SLAPP law.
Legislators argued that previous bill proposals had too many holes. They recommended performing a more thorough examination and developing an alternative anti-SLAPP proposal ahead of the 2027 legislative gathering. Formulated around the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act, the newly drafted legislation serves as a standardized anti-SLAPP framework produced by the Uniform Law Commission, which is a nonprofit entity composed of state-level commissioners dedicated to establishing uniformity in legislation across different states.
Debating Exemptions for Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury Claims
The bill might still be fine-tuned before it reaches the floor. Beth Lance, an attorney representing the Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association, petitioned the members of the Joint Judiciary Committee to incorporate a specific carve-out within the legislation. She asked that exceptions be made for survival actions, wrongful deaths, and bodily injuries, as well as any remarks concerning such legal proceedings, provided those statements do not cross into defamation.
Giving a medical malpractice case as her illustration, Lance pointed out that the proposed legislation could potentially grant a physician the power to have the suit thrown out. Consequently, the legal complaint would fail to progress toward examining the genuine merits of whether a valid negligence allegation existed.
Joint Judiciary Committee Reviews Draft Bill Exemptions
The Joint Judiciary Committee didn’t add these suggestions Monday. Committee members pointed out that the bill text currently features a sweeping provision exempting legal actions directed at individuals who lease or sell services and goods, alongside a few distinct exceptions.
Even so, additional review remains possible before the upcoming session. “I don’t have the language in mind today, but I do think it’s something we continue to look at, because I understand the points, and I think there’s merit in some of those points,” said Sen. Barry Crago, an attorney and Republican lawmaker representing Johnson and Sheridan counties.
The full Legislature takes up the measure when lawmakers convene in January.
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