ACLU of Rhode Island challenges landlord’s SLAPP lawsuit against tenant organizers The ACLU of Rhode Island has announced a legal challenge to what it characterizes as a SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) suit filed by landlord Jeffrey Carvalho against tenant organizers who criticized his management practices, arguing the defamation case is intended to silence protected speech and organizing by renters, and raising broader civil-liberties concerns about free expression, housing advocacy, and the use of the courts to intimidate community organizers in Rhode Island’s ongoing debates over tenant rights and housing policy.[4]

Hey RI, the ACLU is pushing back on a landlord’s lawsuit against tenant organizers, calling it a SLAPP to shut down free speech. Housing fights are real here—shouldn’t folks be able to speak out without fear? #RITenants #HousingRights #RISpeech

ACLU of Rhode Island files anti-SLAPP counterclaim defending tenant organizers’ free speech The ACLU of Rhode Island has filed a counterclaim against a defamation lawsuit brought by Providence landlord Jeffrey Butler targeting two tenants, two tenant organizers, and the group Reclaim RI, arguing the suit is a classic SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) case meant to chill protected speech about his rental practices.[1][5] The counterclaim seeks dismissal of Butler’s lawsuit and attorneys’ fees under Rhode Island’s anti-SLAPP law, asserting that the tenants’ social media posts and organizing activity involve matters of public concern and are protected by the First Amendment and state law.[1][5] The filing follows earlier litigation in which the ACLU and Rhode Island Center for Justice sued Butler for allegedly retaliating against tenants with eviction threats after learning they were working with a tenant union, which the ACLU says violated state protections for tenants participating in rights organizations or pursuing legal remedies.[1]

Providence landlord’s defamation suit against tenant organizers is getting pushback from the ACLU of RI. They’re calling it a SLAPP to silence free speech. Shouldn’t folks be able to speak out without fear of a lawsuit? #RITenants #FreeSpeech #Providence