Open Letter to Toronto City Council
Motion by the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic for Leave to Intervene pursuant to Rules 47 and 55 of the Rules of the Supreme Court of Canada
The Clinic has a significant interest in the interpretation and application of legislation addressing allowing for the summary dismissal of strategic lawsuits against public participation (“SLAPP”). The Clinic represents women who are survivors of sexual violence, many of whom are directly impacted by retaliatory lawsuits. Retaliatory suits are often used by perpetrators of violence to suppress survivors from reporting or seeking help and support from others. These suits are emotionally, psychologically, and financially devastating to survivors. 4. Anti-SLAPP legislation provides an important zone of protection to survivors of sexual violence, insulating them from the fear of retaliation or actual retaliation in the form of a lawsuit. How this Court approaches anti-SLAPP legislation will, therefore, have a direct impact on the ability of survivors to report and disclose sexual violence and to obtain access to justice through the pursuit of legal remedies against their abusers.
Click on the link below for the full Affidavit.
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