N O T FO R PUB L ICAT IO N UNITED STATES C OUR T OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH C IR C UIT

FOUR TH AGE LIM ITED, a Unite d Kingdom c o rpora tion; PR

ISC ILLA M AR Y ANNE R

EUEL TOLKIEN, a s Truste e of the Tolkie n Trust, a Unite d Kingdom C ha rita ble Trust; J.R .R
. TOLING ESTATE LIM ITED, a Unite d Kingdom c o rpora tion; HAR

PER C OLLINS PUB LISHER S, LTD, a Unite d Kingdom c orporation; UNW IN HYM AN, LTD, a Unite d Kingdom

c o rpora tion; GEORGE ALLEN AND UNW IN PUB LISHER , LTD, a Unite d Kingdom

c orpora tion, Plaintiffs-c ounte r-de fe nda n ts - Appe lla nts,
v. W AR NER B R O S ENTER TAINM ENT, INC ., a De la ware c orporation a s suc c e ssorin-inte re st to Ne w Line C ine m a C orp.; W AR NER B R O S DIGITAL DISTR IB UTION, INC
. , a division of W arne r B ros Hom e Ente rta inm e nt Inc , a De la ware c o rpora tion; W

AR NER B R OS C ONSUM ER

PR ODUC TS, INC ., a De la ware c o rpora tion; SAUL ZAENTZ C OM PANY, a C a l ifornia c orporation; NEW LINE PR ODUC TIONS, INC ., a No. 13–56392 D.C . No. 2:12-c v-09912-AB C -SH

M EM O R ANDUM * 

# FIL ED

OCT 28 2015 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U

. S

. CO URT O F APPEALS

* This disposition is not a ppropria te for public a t ion a

nd is not pre c e de nt e xc e pt a s provide d

by 9th C ir. R . 36-3.C a l ifornia

c orporat ion, De fe nda

nts-c ounte r-c la im ants - Appe lle e s. Appe a l from the Unite d

Sta t e s Distric t C ourt for the C e ntra l Distric t of C a lifornia Audre y B . C ollins, Distric t Judge , Pre siding Subm itte d Oc tobe r 22, 2015 * * Pa sa de n a , C a l ifornia B e fore : PR EGER SON a

nd TR OTT, C irc uit Judge s , a nd STAFFOR

D, Se nior Distric t Judge

. ***

This c a se arise s out of thepa rtie s’ disa g re e m e nt a

bout the sc ope of the ir rights unde r c e rta in c ontra c t s. For two y e ars, with e a c h c l a im ing tha t the othe r bre a c he d the c ontra c ts, the pa rtie s atte m

p te d to re solve the ir c o n tra c t-re l a te d dispute s through se ttle m e nt ne g otia tions a nd m e diation. W

he n the pa rtie s’
a tte m pts a t re solution prove d unsuc c e ssful, Pla intiffs file d suit for bre a c h

of
c ontra c t. In re sponse , De fe nda n ts file d bre a c h-of-c ontra c t c o unte rc la im s.

* * The pa

ne l una nim ously c onc lude s this c a se is suita ble for de c ision without ora l a

rgum e nt. Se e Fe d. R . App. P. 34(a )(2).

* * * The Honora

ble W illia m H. Sta fford, Jr., Se nior Distric t Judge for the U.S. Distric t C ourt for Northe rn Florida , sitting by de signa tion.

- 2-Invoking C a lifornia ’ s a nti-SLAPP sta

tute , 1 C a l. C iv. Proc . C o de § 425.16, Pla i ntiffs m ove d to strikeDe fe nda nts’ bre a c h-of-c o n tra c t c ounte rc la im s. In the ir
m otion, Pla intiffs a

rgue d tha t De fe nda nts’ c o unte rc la im s we re file d sole ly to punish Pla intiffs for filing the ir la wsuit, the re by

viola ting the anti-SLAPP sta

tute
. The distric t c ourt re

je c te d Pla intiffs’ argum e nt, re c ogniz ing tha t the la wsuit wa s a

“ routine c ontra c t disputetha t ga ve rise to [both] c la im s a

n d c ounte rc la im s . . . [for]
a ffirm a tive re lie f.” Ac c ording to the distric t c ourt, De fe nda

nts’ c ontra c t-re late d
c ounte rc la im s la c ke d “ the ha llm ark c ha ra c t e ristic s of SLAPP suits.” B a se d on our re vie w of the re c ord a n d the pa rtie s’ brie fs, we c onc lude tha t the d istric t c o urt c orre c tly de nie d Pla intiffs’ an ti-SLAPP m otion to strike

. Ac c ordingly , we AFFIRM
.

1 SLAPPs, or Stra te gic La wsuits Aga inst Public Partic ipation, a re “ l awsuits that m a sque ra de a s ordina

ry la wsuits but a

re brought to de te r c o m

m on c itiz e ns from e xe rc ising the ir politic a l or le ga l rights or to punish the m for doing so.” Batze l v . Smith , 333 F.3d 1018, 1023 (9th C ir. 2003) (inte rna l quota t ion m arks om i tte d).

- 3-