SLAPPs, DARVO, and Weaponised Language in #MeToo-Era Defamation Suits

Abstract

Several defamation lawsuits have been filed by alleged perpetrators against victims who have spoken out about their experiences of sexual violence both ahead of and amid the #MeToo Movement. This article situates those suits within the connected frameworks of SLAPPs (strategic lawsuits against public participation) and DARVO (deny, attack, reverse victim and offender). While SLAPPs have historically been used to silence public discourse on issues of public concern, DARVO rhetorical tactics serve to reassert and reinscribe traditional, harmful power dynamics. This article demonstrates, through an analysis of 72 defamation suits filed between 2014 and 2023, that DARVO language has not only become an integral part of SLAPP suits, but that the DARVO tactics present in SLAPP suits have evolved over time, revealing the influence of high-profile cases covered extensively in the media on lesser-known cases.