Abbas v. Foreign Policy Grp., LLC, 783 F.3d 1328 (D.C. Cir. 2015)

Apr 24, 2015

OUTCOME: The United States Court of Appeals ruled that the D.C. Anti–SLAPP Act, a statute designed to make it more difficult (some would argue impossible) to go to trial against a powerful media defendant in a defamation case, cannot be applied in Federal Court.

Plaintiff, Yasser Abbas, is a businessman who operates businesses throughout the Middle East and the Gulf region. (JA-009) (para. 4). Yasser Abbas and his brother, Tarek Abbas, are the sons of Mahmoud ... Abbas, the Palestinian President. Jonathan Schanzer wrote an article in Foreign Policy, at the time a subsidiary of the Washington Post, entitled, “The Brothers Abbas,” with the subtitle, “Are the sons of the Palestinian President growing rich off their father’s system?” Mr. Abbas sued for defamation. The District Court dismissed the case under D.C.'s Anti-SLAPP statute and imposed attorney's fees on Abbas. The defendants sought over $200,000 in fees.