Instead the company is trying to move the issues to being ones of defamation, interference with businesses relationships, vexatious litigation, abuse of process. Those are garden variety injury claims that essentially change the debate from the original claims in the lawsuit. In this case the protected petitioning behavior on the part of the citizens is contacting the courts. The counterclaims are the bogus and strategic lawsuit against them for having contacted the courts. The victims may be awarded triple damages and attorneys fees.
Jurors understand the value of our political rights and the value of democracy.
They are awarding gigantic jury awards which are being upheld on appeal. At the local level, to the extent that citizens don't speak up about local issues, policy making will be done by even fewer people. Personally it is usually devastating to people to be sued for a large amount of money. It also involves losing trust in government and democracy. It causes a crisis in civic faith.