SLAPP Suits or Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation are part of a growing phenomenon in which a powerful plaintiff -- developers, big business, and even officials -- use lawsuits as a weapon to stifle citizen opposition to unwanted development, criticism of public officials or environmental protection efforts. These lawsuits are an attempt to bully and intimidate citizens by subjecting them to the expense and uncertainties of litigation. The Community Lawyer successfully represented 17 citizen-defendants who were sued by a developer for publicly opposing the development of a mall that had been approved by the zoning commission. In a groundbreaking decision the Connecticut Appellate Court ruled that citizens have a right to petition their government and that the First Amendment shields citizens from liability for this activity. The Court said that that the constitutional rights of citizens to petition their government was more important that commercial expediency.