A federal judge in Oregon dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by a private music teacher against the advocacy group StopAntisemitism, ruling that the group's social media posts about the teacher were protected opinion under the First Amendment. The teacher, Sue Lewis, had taught violin and cello at Valley Catholic Music School, but her contract was not renewed after StopAntisemitism published a "Corrupting the Classroom" feature highlighting antisemitic statements she had made on her personal Facebook page.
The court applied Oregon's anti-SLAPP statute, which permits early dismissal of lawsuits brought over speech on matters of public interest. Judge Adrienne Nelson concluded that the posts concerned topics such as antisemitism, Israel, and the Gaza war—issues of clear public interest—and that the teacher's status as an educator made her online views relevant to that public discussion. The judge further found that the specific statements challenged by Lewis, including characterizations like "calls upon Hamas to destroy Israel" and "claims Jews control humanity," were expressions of opinion rather than provably false factual assertions.
The ruling underscores the broad protection courts often give to commentary on public controversies, even when it targets individuals. Lewis had alleged that the posts led to harassment and the loss of her job, but the court determined that her lawsuit lacked legal merit because the statements were not actionable as defamation. The decision does not address the truth or falsity of the underlying allegations about Lewis's posts, only that StopAntisemitism's framing of them was constitutionally protected opinion.