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Fracking Company Forces Gag Order On Family
image credit news.msn.com
Businesses and their attorneys now can use gag orders to deprive even children of their First Amendment right to freedom of speech.
In a disturbing case in Pennsylvania, a drilling company was able to get a family a legal agreement that could prevent the two children from discussing – for the rest of their lives – the subject of fracking for natural gas.
A gag order is a legal agreement that bars individuals from discussing certain topics. Such orders are often signed in lawsuit settlements. The lawsuit in question here was between Stephanie and Chris Hallowich of Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania, and Range Resources, a gas-drilling company. A settlement the Hallowichs reached with Range Resources in 2011 banned their 7-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son from ever discussing fracking.
The Hallowichs effectively signed away their children’s right to freedom of speech for $750,000, The Guardian newspaper reported. The Hallowichs alleged that Range Resources had contaminated the wells on their 10-acre farm with its drilling. They sued, charging that the contamination caused health problems, including headaches and sore throats.
When the couple settled the suit, Range Resources’ attorney insisted that the gag order cover not only the parents, but their kids, too.
Source: http://www.offthegridnews.com/2013/09/17/fracking-company-forces-gag-order-on-family/
