32 states and the District of Columbia have anti-SLAPP laws, including Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.
The way anti SLAPP laws work is that they allow you to basically file a motion right at the start of the case that forces a summary judgment procedure immediately where the Plaintiff has to prove his case to some degree.
California's law, which can be obnoxious and abused, is at least generous to plaintiffs because they only have to prove their case has "minimal merit". The Texas law is much worse, requiring the plaintiff show "clear and specific evidence".
Normal attorney fees for a motion like this would be $5k to $20k. But sometimes people ask for stupidly high amounts and here, the judge and now court of appeals granted $250k or so against Vic.
Any competent lawyer could have looked at this case and said "I know this sucks to tell you, but you likely can't win a SLAPP motion under Texas law, and you'll get fucked in the ass by paying the other side's potentially grossly inflated fees."
The way anti SLAPP laws work is that they allow you to basically file a motion right at the start of the case that forces a summary judgment procedure immediately where the Plaintiff has to prove his case to some degree.
California's law, which can be obnoxious and abused, is at least generous to plaintiffs because they only have to prove their case has "minimal merit". The Texas law is much worse, requiring the plaintiff show "clear and specific evidence".
Normal attorney fees for a motion like this would be $5k to $20k. But sometimes people ask for stupidly high amounts and here, the judge and now court of appeals granted $250k or so against Vic.
Any competent lawyer could have looked at this case and said "I know this sucks to tell you, but you likely can't win a SLAPP motion under Texas law, and you'll get fucked in the ass by paying the other side's potentially grossly inflated fees."
Maybe he wouldn't take no for an answer.