SLAPP030 – Is it Defamatory to Call Someone a “Crook?‪”‬ California SLAPP Law

Fun, fun, fun in the California sun at Morris & Stone.

In just the past couple of weeks, we (1) Obtained a 3.9 million dollar defamation verdict for one client; (2) Got another client out of a 7 million dollar case on a motion for summary judgment, and (3) Were awarded our fees following a successful anti-SLAPP motion, even though the motion did not dispose of every cause of action.

In Episode 30 of the California SLAPP Law Podcast, we discuss the facts of the aforementioned anti-SLAPP motion, and the motion for attorney fees that followed. This particular anti-SLAPP motion presented some really interesting issues, as did the motion for attorney fees.

As to the anti-SLAPP motion, we examine whether it can ever be defamatory to call someone a crook. It might seem so, but how exactly does one define a crook in order to offer evidence that one is not a crook?

As to the motion for attorney fees, how does the court handle such a request when the underlying anti-SLAPP motion was only partially successful?

Along the way, we are again reminded why it is so crucial to know the procedural rules governing any motion you bring.