An act relating to abusive litigation filed against survivors of domestic abuse, stalking, or sexual assault

This bill creates a new legal mechanism in Vermont to protect survivors of domestic abuse, stalking, or sexual assault from being targeted by abusive litigation. It allows courts to issue orders that restrict individuals who have a history of abusing, stalking, or sexually assaulting someone else from filing or continuing lawsuits primarily intended to harass or intimidate that survivor. The law defines abusive litigation as legal actions that lack legal or factual basis, have been previously dismissed, or are filed by someone with a prior history of similar abusive conduct against the same person. Courts can grant these restrictions without charging filing fees, and the bill includes specific procedures for requesting and hearing these orders while maintaining existing remedies available to parties.