# Vermont — Anti-SLAPP special motion deadlines, fee-shifting and discovery stay by state

For Vermont, deadline to file the motion is A special motion to strike under this section shall be filed with the court and served on all parties not more than 60 days after the filing of the complaint; statute is 12 V.S.A. § 1041, recorded from its source on 2026-09-02.

- **State:** Vermont _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Deadline to file the motion:** A special motion to strike under this section shall be filed with the court and served on all parties not more than 60 days after the filing of the complaint. _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_
- **Attorney's fees for the prevailing party:** If the court grants the special motion to strike, the court shall award costs and reasonable attorney’s fees to the defendant. If the court denies the special motion to strike and finds the motion is frivolous or is intended solely to cause unnecessary delay, the court shall award costs and reasonable attorney’s fees to the plaintiff. _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_
- **Effect on discovery:** The filing of a special motion to strike under this section shall stay all discovery proceedings in the action. Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, the stay of discovery shall remain in effect until the court rules on the special motion to strike. _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_
- **Statute:** 12 V.S.A. § 1041 _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_

## What the source says

> A special motion to strike under this section shall be filed with the court and served on all parties not more than 60 days after the filing of the complaint.

## Where each value comes from

This source states these in separate places, so each value is shown with the passage that states it.

### Deadline to file the motion

> A special motion to strike under this section shall be filed with the court and served on all parties not more than 60 days after the filing of the complaint. A party may file a response to the motion not more than 15 days after the motion is served on the party. The court may extend the time limits of this subsection for good cause shown.

### Attorney's fees for the prevailing party

> If the court grants the special motion to strike, the court shall award costs and reasonable attorney’s fees to the defendant. If the court denies the special motion to strike and finds the motion is frivolous or is intended solely to cause unnecessary delay, the court shall award costs and reasonable attorney’s fees to the plaintiff.

### Effect on discovery

> The filing of a special motion to strike under this section shall stay all discovery proceedings in the action. Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, the stay of discovery shall remain in effect until the court rules on the special motion to strike.

## Source

- https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/12/027/01041

Last verified: 2026-09-02. Review by: 2027-09-02.
Part of [Anti-SLAPP special motion deadlines, fee-shifting and discovery stay by state](https://referencesource.org/anti-slapp-motion-provisions-by-state/).