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Committee hears uniform anti‑SLAPP bill to speed dismissal of meritless lawsuits
Summary
House Bill 292 (Uniform Public Expression Protection Act) would let courts expedite dismissal of suits intended to chill speech, stay discovery while such motions are pending, and award attorney fees to prevailing defendants; supporters range from business groups to the ACLU and the Uniform Law Commission.
Representative Tom Millett introduced House Bill 292 as the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act (UPEPA), saying the measure is intended to ‘‘safeguard our right to express ourselves and protect all Montanans from meritless lawsuits’’ often used to chill speech. He told the committee the bill allows early motions to dismiss and mandatory fee awards for prevailing speakers.
Supporters included…
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