Rob Peal and Evan Rothey recently secured a published victory in the Tennessee Court of Appeals in a case interpreting the Tennessee Public Participation Act (TPPA). The Court affirmed dismissal of an anti-SLAPP petition filed against our client, recording artist and songwriter Blessing Offor. The decision holds that private commercial communications asserting ownership of intellectual property—here, letters directing ASCAP to redirect royalty payments—did not qualify for constitutional free-speech protection under step one of the TPPA. The ruling allows our client’s tortious-interference claims to proceed in Chancery Court and provides new and important guidance on the limits of TPPA protection in commercial disputes. Link to opinion here.