How Far Can A Blanket Statement Go? Environmental Group Files Anti-SLAPP Suit Responding To Defamation Suit Over PFAS Statement

Key Takeaways

Dueling lawsuits aimed at statements about PFAS use in the artificial turf industry will address whether statements about general industry practices can defame a specific company and whether the company's legal response would chill environmental advocacy.

In May, Grassroots Environmental Education and four affiliated individuals (collectively, "GEE") filed an anti-SLAAP lawsuit in New York State court against Polyloom Corporation of America ("Polyloom"), an artificial turf manufacturer. Compl., Grassroots Envtl. Educ. v. Polyloom Corp. Am., No. 611197/2025 (N.Y. Sup. Ct., Nassau Cnty. May 23, 2025) ("GEE Compl."). Anti-SLAPP suits allow defendants to promptly dismiss lawsuits that are designed to hamper their speech and burden them with expensive litigation. GEE commenced the suit in response to a lawsuit filed by Polyloom in Tennessee federal court last year. In that case, as we previously reported, Polyloom claimed that GEE defamed and tortiously