Case Summary
On behalf of the League of United Latin American Citizens and four voters, Southern Coalition for Social Justice sued the Public Interest Legal Foundation for engaging in a multiyear campaign of voter intimidation in Virginia. Co-counsel included Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP, Protect Democracy Project, and Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady LLP.
In their complaint, plaintiffs alleged that PILF and others baselessly accused individuals of committing felony voter fraud and falsely alleged that non-citizen voting was widespread in the state through a concerted defamation and intimidation campaign in 2016 and 2017 in violation of the KK Act (42 U.S.C. 1985), and Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act.
On July 23, 2019, the trial court approved a settlement requiring PILF to remove from their websites all exhibits referencing individual registrants, thereby protecting the identity and personal information of over 5,000 people, provide a written apology to plaintiffs, and to redact personal information from future publications describing purported non-citizen registrants or voters.
Why it's Important
All American voters have a constitutional guarantee to participate in elections free from fear, threats, or intimidation. This case and its result should serve as a deterrent to anyone who might consider schemes to intimidate voters.
