Coastal Alliance Asks Judge to Quash Subpoenas and Stay Discovery Associated with North Shores’ SLAPP-style Lawsuit
Yesterday, (July 30, 2024), the Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance filed an emergency motion with Allegan County Circuit Court Judge Matthew Antkoviak to quash North Shores of Saugatuck’s subpoenas and to stay discovery associated with its SLAPP-style lawsuit against the Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance and board president David Swan.
As we announced last week, North Shores’ lawsuit, filed on June 25, is a 55-page jumble of desperate hyperbole and vitriol that alleges claims of tortious interference and civil conspiracy – claims that aren’t supported by facts or law. On July 24 (the day before the Coastal Alliance filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit) North Shores issued 56 document subpoenas to:
Current or former Coastal Alliance Board members,
Members of the Coastal Alliance,
People who have worked with the Coastal Alliance, and
Others, including people elected or employed by local municipalities and state agencies.
The sheer number of people receiving the subpoenas and the exceptionally broad scope of documents covered is consistent with the SLAPP-style nature of the lawsuit – lawsuits that are intended to silence public participation and harass, intimidate, and burden the defendants
The Coastal Alliance’s emergency motion asks the Court to quash the subpoenas and stay discovery until the Court issues a decision on our motion to dismiss the lawsuit. The Court has not yet set a hearing on the emergency motion.
The hearing on the Coastal Alliance’s motion to dismiss the SLAPP-style lawsuit will be held at 10:30 a.m. on September 9, 2024, at the Allegan County Circuit Court. Should the Court deny the motion to dismiss, the Coastal Alliance asks the Court to provide 21 days from the date of denial for the defendants and subpoenaed persons to make a motion to object to the overly broad and burdensome scope of the subpoena.
“We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, North Shores’ desperate bullying will not distract us from our commitment to protecting and preserving the Saugatuck Dunes and Kalamazoo River Mouth,” said Coastal Alliance Board Chair Bobbie Gaunt. “Public participation in government decision-making is a fundamental right protected by the U.S. Constitution and we will continue to exercise that right.”
