Environment
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
StateDelawareEnacted
HB 355: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 10 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SEXUAL ASSAULT, HARASSMENT, AND DISCRIMINATION.
Eric Morrison
HB 355 status: Enacted — Signed by Governor (updated Sep 14, 2026).
Source
LegiScan
Confidence
High
Analysis basis
LegiScan full bill text
01
What this bill does
Official summary alongside an AI-generated read on where it stands and why.
Overall Score
76OUT OF 100
Score:76/100 civic fit
Risk:Low Risk
Impact:Moderate Impact 60/100
Constitutionality95%
Bipartisan70%
Public opinion85%
Bill summary
The purpose of this Act is to protect victims of sexual assault, discrimination, or harassment from retaliatory lawsuits that arise when a victim of sexual assault discloses information regarding an act of sexual assault, discrimination, or harassment. Specifically, this Act protects assault victims from defamation lawsuits by placing a higher burden of proof on the complainant, even if the complainant is a private figure. It also entitles a prevailing defendant in a defamation lawsuit to attorneys’ fees and costs, actual damages, and punitive damages.
02
Impact analysis
✦ AI analysisModeled effects across six domains, estimated from bill text and comparable legislation.
Economy
Mixed / Neutral
60%
Benefits
- Reduces litigation risk for whistleblowers reporting harassment
- Standardizes legal defense costs for victims
- Encourages transparent workplace environments
Risks
- Increases legal costs for entities facing meritless claims
- Difficulty for businesses to counter false claims due to immunity
- Potential for attorneys' fees to burden small organizations
Society
Positive outlook
85%
Benefits
- Protects victims from retaliatory SLAPP lawsuits
- Encourages witnesses to speak truth without fear
- Reduces silencing effects of legal threats
Risks
- Risk of immunity being misused for personal disputes
- Complexity of legal proceedings for survivors
- Difficulty in exonerating those wrongly accused
Technology Industry
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
Civic Accountability
Positive outlook
80%
Benefits
- Codifies protections for reporting misconduct
- Reduces chilling effects on speech regarding public safety
- Provides statutory clarity on civil liability
Risks
- Limited transparency in how reports are verified
- Lack of specific oversight for potential abuse
- Vagueness in judicial interpretation of reasonable basis
Public Health & Safety
Positive outlook
80%
Benefits
- Promotes safer workplace and housing environments
- Supports victim mental health by removing litigation fear
- Facilitates the identification of persistent offenders
Risks
- Court proceedings may still be stressful for survivors
- Legal complexities remain a barrier to access
- Inability to immediately resolve interpersonal safety gaps
03
How trustworthy & consequential it is
Sourcing already shown above, this is what the analysis found worth flagging.
Source
LegiScan
Official bill text or data from LegiScan.
Confidence
High
Information is complete and verified.
Analysis basis
LegiScan full bill text
Source used for this bill's analysis.
Source note
Entities and individuals may face difficulty proving 'malice' when faced with false reports
Analysis scope
Does not specify judicial criteria for 'reasonable basis'
04
Where it stands
Official recordSigned by Governor
- IntroducedComplete
- CommitteeComplete
- Chamber votesComplete
- Final agreementComplete
- GovernorComplete
- EnactedComplete
05
How it affects your district
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06
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