Libel Tourism: The Effects of Venue Shopping on International Libel Law
Open Access
Author:
Schmelzlen, Heather Renee
Area of Honors:
Journalism
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Martin Halstuk, Thesis Supervisor Martin Halstuk, Thesis Supervisor Robert Dwayne Richards, Faculty Reader Martin Halstuk, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
libel tourism libel venue shopping
Abstract:
On August 10, 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Securing the Protection of our Enduring and Established Constitutional Heritage (SPEECH) Act, a law that protects American journalists, authors, publishers and bloggers from “libel tourism.” The term, a relatively new one in U.S. libel law, is used to describe the practice of filing defamation suits in jurisdictions — specifically foreign countries — where the law allows for less press freedom than in the United States, thus providing an easier path to monetary damages for the plaintiff. The topic gained attention in 2006, as a libel suit brought by a Saudi businessman against an American author made its way through the courts. Recently, it has spurred cries for libel law reform in other countries, including the United Kingdom, sometimes called “the libel capital of the world.”
