In a victory against retaliatory lawsuits, the Weekapaug Fire District filed a motion dismissing Westerly resident Caroline Contrata from a lawsuit regarding a highly contentious shore access dispute in the town. The ACLU of Rhode Island had joined the case to represent Contrata, who was being sued for monetary damages by the District in what the ACLU argued was a SLAPP (“Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation”) suit intended to chill her from exercising her freedom of speech about this dispute. The ACLU had sought her dismissal from the case under the SLAPP statute.

In December, the Fire District filed this suit in Superior Court against more than 20 defendants, including the Attorney General and the Town of Westerly, for seeking a determination from the Coastal Resources Management Council that a strip of land along the beach at Weekapaug is not purely private. Contrata, who had moved to intervene in the proceedings before the CRMC, was the only private individual being sued in the case. In defending Contrata, ACLU of RI cooperating attorney Michael Rubin had argued in a court filing last month that the only reason she was named in the complaint was because she “had the temerity to ask the CRMC to designate a tract that is universally acknowledged as a roadway … as a public right-of-way.”

The ACLU called the dismissal of Contrata from the suit before it proceeded further a victory validating her right to petition the government without retaliation. In response to the Fire District’s actions, Contrata said today: “With the help of the ACLU, we achieved success in the court case. Now, I can get back to the merits of the Spring Avenue right-of-way case that is before the CRMC.” Attorney Rubin added: “I am glad that this local governmental district relented in the case of this brave citizen, Caroline Contrata.”

ACLU of RI executive director Steven Brown said: “The ACLU is very pleased that the Fire District reconsidered its decision to sue Ms. Contrata and has dismissed her from this lawsuit. We commend Ms. Contrata for standing up to the District to vindicate her rights and the rights of others.”

A copy of the District’s motion dismissing Contrata from the case, alongside the ACLU’s memo to dismiss and the Fire District’s initial complaint, can be found here.

Related Content

News & Commentary
Feb 15, 2024
ACLU Defends Westerly Resident Sued by Fire District for Defending Public Access to the Shore
  • First Amendment

ACLU Defends Westerly Resident Sued by Fire District for Defending Public Access to the Shore

In its third skirmish with the Weekapaug Fire District in less than six months, the ACLU of Rhode Island has come to the defense of Westerly resident Caroline Contrata, who has been sued for monetary damages by the District in a high-profile shoreline access case
Court Case
Feb 15, 2024
Weekapaug Fire District v. Contrata
  • First Amendment

Weekapaug Fire District v. Contrata

In its third skirmish with the Weekapaug Fire District in less than six months, the ACLU of Rhode Island has come to the defense of Westerly resident Caroline Contrata, who has been sued for monetary damages by the District in a high-profile shoreline access case
Publication
Sep 20, 2023
Letters + Testimony
  • Government Transparency

LETTER Re: Weekapaug Fire District's Website Transparency

This letter, sent to the Weekapaug Fire District Administrative Assistant, requests changes to their website, which requires logging in via a personal email address or a third-party website at the time this letter was written.
Publication
May 1, 2024
Newsletter - Spring 2024 - Front Page

NEWSLETTER - 2024 - Spring

FRONT PAGE: ACLU of RI SLAPPS Back