‘The Constitution prevents companies from using lawsuits to silence their critics,’ says ACLU

By Deirdre Fulton, staff writer for Common Dreams. Published 6-2-2016

Benjamin Eaton, Mary B. Schaeffer, Esther Calhoun, and Ellis B. Long were sued by a corporate landfill owner for $30 million after speaking out against the hazardous dump on Facebook. (Photo: ACLU)

After being sued for $30 million by a corporate landfill owner for “speaking their truth in order to protect their community,” four residents of Uniontown, Alabama—a poor, predominantly Black town with a median per capita income of around $8,000—are fighting back.

On Thursday, the ACLU asked a federal court to dismiss the defamation lawsuit against Esther Calhoun, Benjamin Eaton, Ellis B. Long, and Mary B. Schaeffer—all members of the community group Black Belt Citizens Fighting for Health and Justice. Continue reading →