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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent

English courts get new powers to dismiss Slapp cases against reporters

Royal Courts of Justice, London.
The Royal Courts of Justice in London. Photograph: Chunyip Wong/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Courts in England and Wales are to be granted new powers to dismiss lawsuits employed by wealthy claimants to stifle free speech, the government has said.

The justice secretary, Dominic Raab, announced proposals on Wednesday for a three-stage test to tackle at an early stage intimidatory legal actions against reporters and publishers, known as strategic lawsuits against public participation, or Slapps.

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