Accra: A legal practitioner, Amanda Clinton, has called for the introduction of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) legislation in Ghana to protect legitimate free speech and public interest advocacy. Speaking on TV3's Agenda program, Clinton warned that the use of the court system to suppress free speech has reached alarming levels.
According to Ghana Web, Clinton highlighted that debt recovery lawyers and other professionals are increasingly being dragged into lawsuits despite having no direct contractual relationship with debtors or disputed transactions. She explained that many lawyers are now being forced to hire their own legal representation and file motions to dismiss claims they describe as frivolous.
Clinton argued that such legal actions unfairly damage reputations, as the names of lawyers and their firms become associated with litigation in open court, even when they are not the original parties to the dispute. She stated that these individuals were not the original contracting parties and had not received any payments from the debtor, yet their names are entangled in litigation as an apparent attempt to smear their reputations and silence them.
Clinton urged civil society organizations and policymakers to advocate for anti-SLAPP legislation in Ghana. She explained that such laws are designed to protect journalists, activists, lawyers, and citizens from baseless lawsuits intended to intimidate or silence individuals engaged in legitimate public interest work or free speech.
Anti-SLAPP statutes typically provide mechanisms for the early dismissal of frivolous lawsuits, shift the burden of proof to plaintiffs to demonstrate the merit of their claims, and allow defendants to recover legal costs where cases are deemed abusive. Clinton emphasized that SLAPP legislation is crucial to safeguarding freedom of expression and strengthening democratic accountability in Ghana.