The Right to Dissent: Countering SLAPPs to Protect Climate Action in the U.S.

Event
Written By Betsy Apple

Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at 12PM ET

Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) are abusive lawsuits designed to shut down criticism or protest related to issues in the public interest. These lawsuits are filed to intimidate and harass the speaker into silence, and typically lack legal merit. SLAPPs are frequently used by fossil fuel companies to retaliate against climate defenders, including community members, scientists, and other critics.

Global Climate Legal Defense is hosting a series of webinars to help educate the broader climate movement about the rising threat from SLAPPs, and how to prepare, prevent, and fight back.

On May 28th, CliDef will bring together leading experts on how SLAPPs are currently impacting climate defenders in the United States. Participants will learn about existing anti-SLAPP communities and coalitions, and how to engage in the movement to defend free speech.

 

PANELISTS:

Kirk Herbertson, U.S. Director for Advocacy and Campaigns, EarthRights International 

Kirk oversees advocacy and campaigns with the U.S. office. He works to protect activists who face threats as a result of their human rights advocacy, and strengthen access to justice for victims of human rights abuses perpetrated by economic actors, such as corporations and financial institutions. Before joining EarthRights, Kirk worked for over 10 years as a human rights and environmental justice researcher and advocate in Southeast Asia, Central Africa, and Washington, D.C. He received his law degree and M.A. in International Politics from American University. Kirk is licensed to practice law in New York.

Shayana Kadidal, Senior Managing Attorney, Center for Constitutional Rights

Shayana Kadidal is a Senior Managing Attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, where he has worked on several significant cases arising in the wake of 9/11, including CCR's challenges to the indefinite detention of men at Guantánamo and domestic immigration sweeps. He has been counsel in major CCR cases challenging the material support statute, the low rate of African-American firefighter hiring in New York City, and the NSA's warrantless surveillance program. He is a graduate of Yale Law School and a former law clerk to Judge Kermit Lipez of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Shayana has been interviewed on major news outlets, including CNN, NPR, MSNBC, Al Jazeera, and CBS, among others.

Deepa Padmanabha, Senior Legal Advisor, Greenpeace USA

Deepa has been with Greenpeace USA since 2011 and is based in Washington DC. Over the last 8 years, Deepa has focused on defending Greenpeace entities in the US against two lawsuits attempting to silence the organization’s advocacy work (SLAPPs). In September 2022, she testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Greenpeace USA’s experience with legal attacks from extractive industries and the importance of federal anti-SLAPP legislation. She has also advised on a variety of in-house legal matters, and works closely with environmental activists seeking to exercise their First Amendment rights to promote systemic change.

MODERATOR: 

Betsy Apple, Executive Director, Global Climate Legal Defense 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Below you will find research and tools that may be useful to review before the webinar.

Betsy Apple
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Bonn 2025