Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP suits) are lawsuits initiated by interested parties, most often businesses, that seek to counteract criticism from individuals, businesses, and nonprofit organizations that the litigant believes to be harmful to their operations—often those in the past, present, and future possible detrimental events. The lawsuits often have arisen in response to environmental activists who have protested against those they deem as polluters, or otherwise harmful to the environment and human health. Primarily these lawsuits are designed to discourage pubic activism simply by threatening to financially impair those engaging in such activities.

According to the Environmental Law and Policy Center, (ELPC) serving Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, in its January 2001 ELPC News "SLAPP suits, unfortunately, are becoming a popular weapon among industry lawyers and conservative ideologues, who tend to be hostile to environmental activism...