Anti-SLAPP statute applied to hospital's public statements about fired nurses. Court held statements to Boston Globe were protected petitioning but internal email was not. Broadened statutory protection for nonmoving parties' meritorious claims.
Court denied healthcare network's motion to assert counterclaims against departing physician group and to sue hospital for tortious interference, finding proposed claims legally insufficient and untimely joinder unfair.
Physician network's motion to assert counterclaims and add third-party defendant denied where counterclaims lack legal merit and joinder of defendant comes too late in litigation.
Statements to newspaper constituted protected petitioning activity under anti-SLAPP statute where made in response to union's media statements and designed to influence ongoing regulatory licensing investigation. Internal email to hospital staff did not qualify.
