Research on SLAPP (or Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation)
suits indicates:
1. the real intention of the SLAPP suit is to retaliate and intimidate
2. they are most commonly brought by developers in land use issues
3. SLAPP suits are always disguised as something else (eg. defamation
suits) and sometimes lawyers don't realise they are dealing with SLAPP
suits, making them more difficult to contest
4. because the intention of a SLAPP suit is to intimidate or harass, not
necessarily to win the case, the paintiff's case is often without much
real merit
5. even if the plaintiff loses in court he usually wins because people
are afraid to speak out in future.
Refer links below for more details,the last one is a ruling on a SLAPP suit by the North Gauteng High Court
http://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1214&context=delpf http://cer.org.za/hot-topics/slapp-suits http://www.chroniclesa.co.za/index.php/news/latest/994-punitive-costs-order-for-unsuccessful-slapp-suit
