SLAPPs - Strategische Klagen gegen öffentliche Beteiligung

Madeleine Petersen Weiner examines strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) in a cross-border context. Such actions are not aimed at enforcing subjective rights; rather, they are intended to intimidate journalists, activists, or NGOs through the burdens of civil proceedings and to deter them from further critical reporting. This produces a chilling effect that impairs individual rights and weakens democratic accountability mechanisms. In what ways does private international law facilitate such abusive litigation and what counter-strategies should be considered. In particular, the mosaic approach developed by the CJEU enables claimants to sue in any state where a statement can be accessed. As a result, those affected can scarcely predict where they may be sued and which law will apply. The EU's recently adopted Anti-SLAPP Directive has so far addressed this problem only incompletely. The author develops a reform proposal to curb SLAPPs across the three pillars of private international law: international jurisdiction, applicable law, and the recognition and enforcement of judgments. She argues for a uniform regulatory regime oriented toward the injured party's center of main interests. In this way, she increases legal certainty and reduces the potential for strategic abuse.