Boston.com — How a confrontation on a Rhode Island beach led to a libel lawsuit — and involvement from the ACLU

Beachgoers take advantage of the weather at Blue Shutters Town Beach in Charlestown, R.I., July 2019. Allegra Anderson/The New York Times

Nov 15, 2021

By Christopher Gavin — A summertime confrontation on a Rhode Island beach has continued on even long after the warm weather left the Ocean State’s adored coastline.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island indicated recently the organization plans to represent a Pawtucket woman who was sued for libel and trespassing stemming from a run-in with a beachfront property owner in Charlestown, which sits on the state’s southern coast, The Boston Globe reports.

James Marsh filed the lawsuit in August against Sarah McKenna, alleging McKenna’s description of what transpired between the two was libelous.

“The lawsuit, while cast as a defamation/trespass claim, seeks to have a court order Ms. McKenna — who posted statements on an internet discussion board on matters of public concern — to take them down,” Carolyn A. Mannis, McKenna’s lawyer, told the Globe earlier this month in an email. “If successful, this would be a form of censorship, which goes far beyond a monetary award.”

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