PEPPER BLACK, ET AL. v. THERESA BALDWIN - Articles

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PEPPER BLACK, ET AL. v. THERESA BALDWIN

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Jun 3, 2025

Court: TN Court of Appeals

Attorneys 1: W. Gary Blackburn, Nashville, Tennessee, for the appellants, Pepper Black and Brad Dozier.

Attorneys 2: Daniel A. Horwitz, Sarah L. Martin, and Lindsay Smith, Nashville, Tennessee, for the appellee, Theresa Baldwin.

Attorneys 3: Jonathan Skrmetti, Attorney General & Reporter, J. Mathew Rice, Solicitor General, and Aaron L. Bernard, Assistant Solicitor General, for the appellee, the State of Tennessee.

Judge(s): MCCLARTY

The plaintiffs initiated this action based upon multiple theories of speech-related torts and emotional distress in response to the defendant’s statements made on her social media concerning them and their business. The defendant moved for dismissal, citing the Tennessee Public Participation Act (“TPPA”), codified at Tennessee Code Annotated section 20-17-101, et seq. The trial court dismissed the action, finding that the TPPA applied and operated to protect her right to free speech and to petition. We now affirm.

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