BOSTON (AP) — Two environmental activists who were sued for defamation over an article they wrote about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill are taking their case to the highest court in Massachusetts.

Former teacher Karen Savage and single mother Cherri Foytlin were sued by a scientific consulting company after their article appeared in The Huffington Post. In the piece, the women questioned the independence of a company that published a study finding that the Gulf disaster did not expose cleanup workers to harmful levels of several airborne chemical compounds.

The company says the article contained false statements.

The Supreme Judicial Court will hear arguments Friday. The case is expected to explore the scope of a Massachusetts law aimed at discouraging lawsuits intended to silence people who speak out on issues of public interest.

 

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