SLAPP suits were all the rage a couple decades ago.
Community activists and/or groups didn't like something planned for their neighborhood, so they would kick up a fuss. Once they protested, the person, persons or group whose project was facing opposition, went to court. They filed a lawsuit against those making the ruckus, claiming they were somehow or another wronged by those who were merely exercising their First Amendment right to free speech.
Those types of court actions were quickly labeled SLAPP suits, as in Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation. The aim was simple: muzzle those voicing opposition by naming them in lawsuits or, at the very least, having them fear being sued.
For many of those opposing certain projects in their back yards, it was their first foray into the public arena. That went doubly for courtrooms, where many had no experience.
Thankfully, SLAPP suits quietly went away, at least in Harford County, and have largely been absent from the public view for years.
It's a good thing, too, at least for the Bel Air South community that so passionately and publicly opposed Walmart's plans to build a new store in its midst.
Those folks, successfully we might add, battled the giant retailer at every turn. Some of what was said in that development battle was hyperbole at best, and at worst, stretching the truth to its outer limits.
But Walmart took the heat, responding publicly with fact-checking when and where possible, never trying to silence those fighting their plans before, ultimately, giving up.
Years ago, if in a similar situation, maybe Walmart or maybe its legal representation locally would have filed a lawsuit against those standing in the way of their project. That kind of legal maneuvering hasn't happened much around here in the more recent past.
That is, until, along came the Keep Fallston Rural group whose mission it is to draw attention to efforts afoot to further develop parts of Fallston, specifically, the area around Routes 152 and 147.
Beth Poggioli and Stephanie Flasch, much of the energy behind Keep Fallston Rural, have become defendants in civil litigation.
Fallston-based developer Michael Euler Sr. has sued the two women, alleging they are making false claims about what the developer is planning and using fictitious signatures in online petitions opposing his plans. We will leave the litigation and the merits of the case to the courts to decide – that's what courts do.
In the court of public opinion, however, this lawsuit will turn out to be popular only in Euler's small circle. Beyond that, the developer won't be getting much support from anywhere else in the community.