From the red carpet: The European SLAPP Contest 2025
What do the French Minister of Culture, a cosmetic surgery firm in the UK and oil giant Energy Transfer have in common? They have all been crowned for their commitment to using vexatious lawsuits to silence criticism in this year’s European SLAPP Contest 2025.
On the evening of Tuesday 8 April, the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe hosted the fourth edition of its now-iconic event the European SLAPP Contest. Set against a backdrop of glittery kitsch that could rival the Eurovision Song Contest, nominees went head-to-head for a handful of prestigious prizes—including Farcical Threat of the Year, International Bully of the Year, and SLAPP Addict 2025.
The evening was brought to life by environmental and social justice activist Chloé Mikolajczak, who guided a raucous crowd of CASE members, SLAPP survivors, and a few EU officials through a rollercoaster ride of satire, shade, and solidarity. Laughter rang out as Europe’s most notorious legal bullies were given the public recognition they definitely didn’t ask for.
Taking home the prizes
The nominees were put forward by CASE members, with final selections made via secret vote by a jury of MEPs from across a broad political spectrum—Sandro Ruotolo (S&D), Daniel Freund (Greens/EFA), Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová (Renew), Manon Aubry (The Left), David Casa (EPP)—alongside coalition members Charlie Holt (CliDef) and Julie Majerczak (Reporters Sans Frontières).
Corporate Bully of the Year goes to… Clean Tech International (Romania)!
The first prize ‘Corporate Bully of the Year’ was announced by Paolo de Morais, president of Frente Cívica and awarded to Clean Tech International. Clean Tech is an agricultural waste processing factory, which pollutes the area and emits an unbearable smell. The company has turned to suing the local community for challenging its environmental permit and the environmental agreement for a new production line it was planning. The company is asking individual members of the community association AER Muntenia for €20 million for damages incurred by the company. It has even gone as far as to register the litigation in the land registries of the properties of the association’s members, meaning they can not sell their houses while the case is ongoing.
Strangely, when it came to handing over the award Clean Tech representatives were nowhere to be seen. Fortunately, members of AER Muntenia, who are equally (if not more) familiar with the case, were present to accept the award on the company’s behalf.
“In Romania in the early 1900s, we had a great writer named Ion Luca Caragiale. His main talent was to write in a mocking and ironic way about the corruption in Romania. And I can say that he would be envious of our story right now,” observed Eduard Alexandru Milea speaking on behalf of his mother Dorina Milea and AER Muntenia.
SLAPP Politician of the Year goes to… Rachida Dati, French Minister of Culture!
Next up was the award for SLAPP Politician of the Year. And who better to present it than former journalist and MEP, Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová? The award went—deservedly—to French Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, who has truly distinguished herself in this category.
In recent years, Dati has launched multiple SLAPP lawsuits against major French media outlets, including Le Canard Enchaîné, Le Nouvel Observateur, and Libération. These cases appear designed to suppress investigative reporting into her controversial political and business ties—most notably her relationships with Azerbaijan and Qatar, and financial dealings with former corporate executives.
With yet another winner absent from the ceremony, we were fortunate enough to have L’Obs journalist and SLAPP target, Clément Lacombe on site to receive the award on Dati’s behalf, with no shortage of humour: “Dati was not available tonight to receive this prize, so I tried to imagine what she would have said – I imagine she would have said thank you to her lawyers. She currently has five lawyers in the Renault court case in which she is charged for corruption. I think many more French lawyers would also thank her for all the workflow she provides.”
Farcical Threat of the Year goes to… Signature Clinic UK!
For its legal gymnastics, going as far as to tell some of its dissatisfied clients that they could face imprisonment for negative reviews, Signature Clinic UK won Farcical Threat of the Year! Nik Williams (Index on Censorship) announced the award, reminding the audience of Signature’s impressive work.
The UK-based cosmetic surgery firm operates eight clinics with assets of nearly £3 million. The company has aggressively pursued legal threats and lawsuits against a number of former patients who publicly expressed dissatisfaction with their surgical outcomes. The firm used both defamation and anti-harassment laws to target at least six different people over the same fundamental concerns—severe pain and disappointing surgical results.
Karen Perrett, one of Signature’s SLAPP targets, was more than willing to accept the award on the company’s behalf. She even gave “a special shout out to Mr. Jaroslaw Stachiw, the legal maestro himself, the courtroom Picasso,” who “redefined legal bullying as a performance art.”
International Bully of the Year goes to… Energy Transfer!
U.S. oil giant Energy Transfer took home International Bully of the Year, following its massive and meritless SLAPP against Greenpeace International and Greenpeace entities for their limited role in the protests against the North Dakota Access Pipeline. In March 2025, without fair trial, Greenpeace was found liable for over $600+ million in damages—the largest such award against an environmental group in U.S. history.
ET’s CEO Kelcy Warren openly stated that the aim was not to recover damages, but to “send a message” to activists. Unfortunately, Warren did not turn up to deliver his message in person, and instead the award was accepted by Greenpeace International’s Senior Legal Counsel Daniel Simons.
“Today’s award crowns a proud journey ET embarked on nine years ago,” said Daniel, “The $132 million verdict is like a long hand reaching out of its Dallas headquarters into Europe and giving anyone who might think of criticising big oil in the United States a gentle squeeze around the throat.”
SLAPP Addict of the Year goes to… ENI!
ENI has really proven that there is something on earth more addictive than sugar—SLAPPs! Francesca Carlsson reminded the audience of ENIs true commitment to the SLAPP – the Italian oil giant has sued journalists and NGOs including Greenpeace Italia, Greenpeace Netherlands, and ReCommon for exposing its climate record and corruption scandals. In one instance, ENI even filed a SLAPP over a report that didn’t mention them by name.
“Thank you all for this award, which I am honoured to accept on behalf of ENI,” said Chiara Campione, Programme Director at Greenpeace Italia, tongue in cheek, “The work carried out by the company over the years has been nothing short of monumental, involving numerous lawyers, journalists and organisations. Collecting such an impressive number of SLAPPs is no easy feat. It requires dedication, strategy and above all, a level of audacity we can’t help but be proud of.”
The People’s Choice Award goes to… Aleksandar Šapić, Mayor of Belgrade!
Finally, the People’s Choice Award—determined by over 20,000 votes—went to Aleksandar Šapić, Mayor of Belgrade.
Šapić sued BIRN Serbia and its journalists for €51,200 in “emotional distress” after they reported on his failure to declare an €820,000 villa in Trieste. Boo hoo! BIRN maintains that the reporting was accurate and verified. This isn’t his first SLAPP attempt against BIRN—he previously sued over coverage of irregularities in his property legalisation process.
Sielke Kelner of the Balkans and Caucasus Observatory Transeuropa was there to give thanks on the Mayor’s behalf (who was perhaps too busy sobbing beside his pool), calling the award “a true testament to Šapić’s success as a legal bully.”
Another year of recognition for SLAPP bullies
The European SLAPP Contest isn’t just a spectacle—it’s a powerful reminder that abusive lawsuits won’t go unnoticed. For many targeted by SLAPPs, isolation and reputational damage are part of the trauma. This event offers public solidarity, calls out the aggressors, and shines a light on those fighting back.
The evening ended with a champagne reception—spirits high, laughter loud, and a clear collective message: You can’t SLAPP us into silence.
Check out the Flickr gallery below for more photos from the night – credit to Sonia Goicoechea.
