The German Journalists' Union (dju) in, together with the Society for Civil Liberties (Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte GFF), the Munich Environmental Institute (Umweltinstitut München) and the Otto Brenner Foundation, published a study on the SLAPPs phenomenon in Germany. The main takeaways are:
- Most survey participants with their own SLAPP experience come from the field of journalism (60 percent).
- There is enormous potential for intimidation due to sometimes very high amounts in dispute: In a third of the reported cases, the amounts in dispute are between 100,000 and 500,000 euros.
- Almost half of the SLAPPs defendants won their case outright - the court recognised the unfounded nature of the allegations.
- SLAPPs - be it lawsuits, injunctions or warnings - have a high potential for intimidation: only a few of those affected did not feel psychologically burdened by the legal intimidation they experienced.
- SLAPPs have a high deterrent potential: A third of those affected were intimidated, only a quarter denied a deterrent effect. One fifth will withdraw from the topic in future.
- When asked about the positive consequences of SLAPPs, more than half of those affected cited positive experiences through expressions of solidarity and support from outside.
For more information:
