Joseph L. Meadows

• Represented U.S. government contractors in defamation and tortious interference litigations in state and federal courts.
• Represented start-up technology and healthcare companies in Virginia and Pennsylvania state and federal defamation cases against bloggers and short sellers.
• Represented professional athletics team staff member in DC federal defamation case against team owner.
• Represented high-profile federal government official in Maryland defamation case against media.
• Represented high-profile individual in Massachusetts defamation and cyber-attack case against unknown John Does.
• Represented teacher in defamation jury trial (DNJ), obtaining split verdict.
• Represented school system, religious organization, tech companies, and employers in Virginia, California, and Illinois state and federal defamation defense matters. 
• Counseled businesses and individuals in defamation, disparagement, and privacy matters nationwide, involving competitors, disgruntled employees, unknown persons, and the media.
• Represented Virginia business in TTAB litigation over trademarks.
• Represented individual and company clients in litigation and settlement of DC metro-area business and partnership disputes.
• Defended U.S. government contractor in False Claims Act jury trial (EDVA) involving weapons matters, obtaining defense verdict.
• Defended various health care companies in dismissal or settlement of False Claims Act claims.
• Tried and won bankruptcy preference case (USBC D. Md.), recovering attorney’s fees and costs.
• Tried and won contested adoption matter for single parent, defending the win on appeal in the D.C. Court of Appeals.

• The Law of Defamation in Virginia (Fifth Edition), Virginia Law Foundation, 2022
• High Court Social Media Speech Ruling Could Implicate AI, Law360, March 6, 2024
• The U.S. Supreme Court Ended Debate on Whether Scienter Under the False Claims Act is Measured Under a Subjective or Objective Test. It’s a Subjective Test., June 2023
• Seven Tips for Negotiating with Hackers (or Anyone for that Matter), December 2021
• DC Circ. Lobbyist Ruling May Lead To 1st Amendment Clarity, Law360, January 15, 2021
• Are We Partners? Implied Partnerships Guide, January 12, 2021
• Why You Should Consider Opting for Arbitration During the Coronavirus Pandemic, American Bar Association – Practice Points, November 30, 2020
• Internet Defamation Guide, A Graphic Illustration, October 2020
• INSIGHT: Don’t Say This in the New Workplace, Bloomberg Law, June 15, 2020
• Small Business Reorganization Under the Cares Act and SBRA, and What that Means for Creditors, Bankruptcy Law News, Virginia State Bar, June 2020
• Understanding Gov't Contractor Defamation Privilege, Law360, December 9, 2019
• 5 Tips on Protecting Articles, Blogs, or Posts from Defamation Liability, LinkedIn, May 16, 2019
• Internet Defamation Guide – 10 Questions to Spot or Avoid Online Defamation, LinkedIn, March 7, 2019
• Responding to a Cyber Reputation Attack: A Game Plan and a Digital Forensics Expert, American Bar Association's Expert Witnesses Section of Litigation, November 2, 2017
• How State High Courts Are Reshaping Anti-SLAPP Laws, Law360, July 31, 2017
• What's Next For Federal Anti-SLAPP Legislation, Law360, April 19, 2017
• When Is the Sale Price Not Equal to Fair Value?, American Bar Association's Expert Witnesses Section of Litigation, February 21, 2017
• Six Steps to Protecting Your Reputation Online, Corporate Counsel, February 17, 2017
• Using Experts in Arbitration, American Arbitration Association's Dispute Resolution Journal, Vol. 62, No. 1, February/April 2007
• Using Experts in Arbitration, Chapter 31, AAA Handbook on Arbitration Practice – Second Edition, December 2015

Speaking Engagements

• Court TV and Law & Crime Shows
• First Amendment Rights for AI Speech?, Podcast, D.C. Bar Communities Center, April 24, 2024
• Online Defamation: Defending Reputations and Speech in Cyberspace, Webcast, May 7, 2020
• Ask the Attorney, Call-in Radio Show, WVOW Radio | 101.9FM | 1290AM, February 26, 2020
• Virginia Lawmakers Aim To Crack Down On SLAPP Tourism, The Kojo Nnamdi Show with guest, Joe Meadows, On-Demand Recording, February 17, 2020
• Ask the Attorney, Call-In Radio Show, WVOW Radio | 101.9FM / 1290AM, February 12, 2020
• Business Education Series: Avoiding Liability for Social Media Postings, Reston, VA, October 9, 2019
• Internet Defamation, Arlington Rotary Club, Arlington, VA, July 11, 2019
• Internet Defamation: Defend Against Defamers and Cyber-attackers, Bean, Kinney & Korman, Arlington, VA, October 25, 2018
• Internet Defamation & Cyber-Attacks, Solo and Small Firms: Maximize Your Success, WV CLE, Morgantown, WV, September 21, 2018

Blog Posts

• Internet Defamation Guide (graphic illustration)
• COVID-19 Economic Relief Investigations: They Will Expose Some Businesses to Civil Liability, Business Insights, April 22, 2020
• Facial Recognition: Security Tool or Threat Vector?, Business Insights, June 6, 2019
• Win for Online Speech Sustained: U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Hear Hassell v. Yelp, Business Insights, January 23, 2019
• Internet Defamation Briefing, Business Insights, October 25, 2018
• Internet Defamation Guide – 10 Questions to Spot or Avoid Online Defamation, Business Insights, August 2, 2018
• Freedom of Speech or Freedom from Defamation? – 5 Takeaways from Yelp’s Recent Court Victory, Business Insights, July 18, 2018

Admissions

• Maryland
• District of Columbia
• Virginia
• U.S. District Court, District of Maryland
• U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
• U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia
• U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. and Fourth Circuits
• U.S. Tax Court

Memberships

• American Bar Association
  • Section of Litigation
  • Forum on Communications Law
  • Expert Witness Committee, Former Editor

Profile Summary

Education

• LL.M, with distinction, Georgetown University Law Center, 1998,
• J.D., Order of the Coif, West Virginia University College of Law, 1997
• B.S., cum laude, Wake Forest University, 1994