It’s a SLAPP!: Fox Petroli Targets Environmental Activists with €2 Million Lawsuit Over One Word

In June 2025, Italian energy company Fox Petroli S.p.A. launched a €2 million lawsuit against two local environmental defenders, accusing them of defamation for describing a former fuel storage site as “degraded” in an article they wrote for ImgPress. The CASE Coalition officially recognises the lawsuit as a SLAPP – a textbook David vs. Goliath example of powerful corporate interests trying to silence citizen activism on issues of public health, safety, and the environment.

Citizens vs. corporate power: The struggle to raise legitimate concerns

The defendants, Roberto Malini and Lisetta Sperindei, are members of “PESARO: NO LNG”, a grassroots citizens’ committee opposing the construction of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in the Tombaccia neighbourhood of Pesaro, Italy. For more than seven months, the group has been campaigning against the project proposed by Fox Petroli S.p.A., a financially powerful petroleum and energy company.

Their concerns are serious: the company’s chosen site sits in a densely populated and environmentally sensitive urban area. It has hosted hydrocarbon storage and processing activities for decades and is widely considered contaminated and in need of remediation. Numerous institutional and technical reports – including those produced by Fox Petroli itself – confirm the site’s condition, noting the presence of obsolete diesel tanks dating back to the 1950s and the need for a substantial clean-up operation.

Sued for speaking out

In May 2025, the PESARO: NO LNG Committee filed a formal environmental complaint, warning authorities about potential risks to public health and safety at the site. They simultaneously issued a press release announcing their action, which was published on the news platform ImgPress. The statement described the site as “degraded” – language that Fox Petroli now claims damaged its reputation.

“I am always careful with language,” Malini explained. “I used the term ‘degraded’ because Fox itself, in its own documents, has planned remediation of obsolete tanks that still contain pollutants.”

The lawsuit: A grossly disproportionate response

On 30 June 2025, Fox Petroli S.p.A. filed a civil defamation lawsuit against Malini and Sperindei. The company is seeking an extraordinary €2 million in damages – roughly 5% of its annual turnover – a figure wildly disproportionate to the alleged reputational harm caused by the use of the word “degraded” in the press release.

This eye-watering sum is a clear attempt to intimidate and overwhelm two private citizens. ImgPress, notably, has not been sued – a decision that underlines the lawsuit’s focus on the activists themselves rather than the media outlet reporting their words. It targets a basic act of democratic participation: the issuing of a press release by a local community group about an issue of clear public interest.

A classic SLAPP

The lawsuit against Malini and Sperindei is a textbook example of a SLAPP. A wealthy and powerful company is using its resources to drag two individuals into an expensive, time-consuming legal battle. The enormous damages claim is wholly disproportionate to the alleged harm, and the lawsuit targets speech that is firmly in the public interest – concerning environmental risks, public health, and community safety.

This case is also having a chilling effect beyond the courtroom. Local journalists have reportedly been reluctant to cover the story: one reporter from the region’s main daily newspaper told the defendants that their editors feared retaliatory legal action if they published the activists’ press release. This climate of fear shows how SLAPPs don’t just silence their immediate targets – they also deter the media and wider public from engaging in debate on crucial issues.

Next steps

On 29 September, a mediation hearing with Fox Petroli took place, but there was no resolution. The case will now go to trial, with the first hearing scheduled for 22 December. It will be critical to demonstrate huge public support for Roberto Malini and Lisetta Sperindei in the run up to the hearing, showing that there is an entire community ready to stand up behind them and expose the abusive nature of Fox Petroli’s lawsuit.

Furthermore, this case underscores the urgent need for robust anti-SLAPP legislation in Italy and across Europe to protect citizens, journalists, and activists from legal intimidation, and to ensure they can speak out on matters of public importance without fear of retaliation.