Posted by Meaghan Kirby in Employment Law
Jan 16 2026
Connecticut law protects individuals from being sued simply for speaking up. These types of lawsuits – often called “SLAPP,” or “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation” suits – are usually filed against individuals to intimidate or silence them from exercising their right to free speech. Connecticut’s Anti-SLAPP statute (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-196a) allows a person who is sued or countersued for speaking out to ask the court to dismiss that claim before the case goes any further. Once a motion to dismiss is filed, all discovery related to the retaliatory claim is automatically paused, and the burden shifts to the employer or supervisor to prove, with specific facts, that their claim is legitimate and likely to succeed.
Anti-SLAPP claims can arise in employment cases. Employees who report discrimination, harassment, or retaliation may face defamation, libel, or similar counterclaims from their employer or supervisor based on what the employee said or wrote about the misconduct. Connecticut’s Anti-SLAPP statute gives employees a powerful tool to challenge those retaliatory claims early in the case and stop those claims in their tracks from proceeding through the litigation process.
In 2025, Connecticut strengthened its anti-SLAPP law to make its protections even clearer. The statute now expressly protects written communications made without malice about discriminatory practices, including discriminatory employment practices. In other words, when an employee puts concerns about workplace discrimination or harassment in writing, that speech is now clearly protected under the Anti-SLAPP law.
The 2025 law includes additional protections when a discrimination case is pending before the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) or in court. In those situations, the discrimination case moves forward first, and the retaliatory claim is effectively put on hold. If the court dismisses the retaliatory claim, the employee is entitled to recover attorney’s fees and costs – further discouraging employers from using lawsuits to silence employees who speak out.
Posted by Meaghan Kirby in Employment Law
Tagged Discrimination, Meaghan Kirby
