T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on and i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by9th C i r . R . 36- 3. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T L A M O O N , I N C ., P l ai nt i ff

- A pp el l ee , v. L A M O U R N A I L P R O D U C T S , I N C ., D efen d an t -th i rd -p artyd e f e n d a n t - A p p e lla n t, a nd A L F A L F A N A I L S U P P L Y , I N C .; R E GA L NA I L S , S AL ON AN D S P A, LLC, D efen d an t s, a nd CO N SO RTI U M O F RESEA RCH E X P E R T S , IN C . , D B A C o re N ai l S u p p l y, D efen d an t -th i rd -p artyd e f e n d a n t. N o. 08- 56868 D. C . No . 8 : 0 8 - c v - 0 0 0 0 9 - AH S - AN ME MOR AN DU M * 

# FI LED APR12 2 010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALST he H onor abl e J ohn R . T unhe i m , U S D i s tr i c tJ udge f orD i s tr i c tof ** M i nne s ot a , s i tt i ng byde s i gna t i on.

T h e p ar ti es an dth e d istrict co u rt re fe r to th e th ird -p ar ty d ef en d an t’ s 1 c la im a g a in s t th e p la in tif f a s a“c o u n te r c la im .” S u c h ac la im is p r o p e r lyr e f e rr e d to si m pl y a s a“ cl ai m . ” See F ed. R . C i v. P . 14 (a )( 2)(D ). 2 A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e C e n tr a l D is tr ic t o f C a lif o rn ia A l i c e m a r i e H . S t ot l e r , S e ni orD i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d M a r c h 5, 2010 P a s a d e n a , C a lif

o rn ia B e f o r e : C A N B Y a n dW. F L E T C H E R , C i r c u i tJ u d g e s , a n dT U N H E I M, ** D i stri ctJudg e. In M ar ch 20 07 , L am oo n, Inc. (“ L am oo n”) and L am ou r N ai l P rodu ct s, Inc. (“ L am ou r” ) e nt er ed i nt o a se tt l em entagre em entt erm i nat i ng a tra dem ark in f r in g e m e n t la w s u it b yL a m o o n a g a in s t L a m o u r . I n 2 0 0 8 , L a m o o n b r o u g h t s u it a g a in s t A lf

a lf aN a il S u p p ly , I n c ., R e g a l N a ils S a lo n & S p aL L C , a n daR e g a l N a ils f r a n c h is e ( c o lle c tiv e ly“A lf a lf aD e f e n d a n ts ” ) , d is tr ib u to r s o f L a m o u r ’s p r o d u c ts . T h e A lf a lf aD e f e n d a n ts f ile dath ir d - p a rtyc o m p la in t a g a in s t L a m o u rf o rin d e m n ity a n dc o n tr ib u tio n . A lo n g w ith its a n s w e rto th e th ir d - p a rtyc o m p la in t, th ir d - p a rty defe nd antL am ou r a ss ert ed cl ai m s a gai nstpl ai nt i ff L am oo n for breac h o f c on tra ct and i m pl i ed equi t abl e i nd em ni ty. L am ou r’ s c l ai m s a l l eged thatL am oo n b re ac hed 1 the s e tt l e m e nta gr e e m e ntbe tw e e n L a m oon a nd L a m ourbybr i ngi ng s ui ta ga i ns tthe3

A l f a l f aD e f e n d a n t s . La mo o n r e s p o n d e dw i th amo t i o n t o s tr i k e La mo u r ’ s c l a i ms un der C al i forni a’ s ant i -S L A P P l aw , C al . C i v. P roc. C od e § 42 5. 16 . O n O ct ob er 1 4 , 2 0 0 8 , th e d is tr ic t c o u rt g r a n te dp la in tif f L a m o o n ’s a n ti- S L A P P m o tio n . W e a f f i rm. L a m oon’ s c l a i m s a ga i ns tthe A l f a l f aD e f e nda nt s f a l l w i thi n the c a t e gor i e s of pr ot e c t e d s pe e c h s e tf

orth i n C a l i f

orni a ’ s a nt i - S L A P P l a w , C a l . C i v. P r oc . C ode § 4 2 5 . 1 6 (e). “ A cl ai m fo r rel i ef fi l ed i n fed eral d i stri ctco u rti n d i sp u t ab l y i s a

‘ st at em entor w ri t i ng m ade before a . . . j ud i ci al proceedi ng . ’ ” N avel l i erv. Sl et ten , 29 C al . 4th 8 2, 90 (C al . 20 02 ). “ T he const i tut i on al ri gh tof pet i t i on encom pass es the basi c a ctof fi l i ng l i t i gat i on . ” I d. (in tern al q u o tati o n m ar k s o m itted ). L am o u r’s c l a i m s w e r e adi r e c tr e s pons e t o L a m oon’ s pr ot e c t e d a c tof f i l i ng s ui ta ga i ns tthe A l f a l f aD e f e nda nt s . T he ythe r e f

or e “ a r i s e [ ] f

r om ” L a m oon’ s pr ot e c t e d s pe e c h or p e titio n in g . Se e V

e s s v . C i ba- G e i

gyC or p. U SA , 31 7 F . 3d 10 97 , 11 10 (9th C i r. 20 03 ). L a m o u rh a s n o t m e t its b u r d e n o f d e m o n s tr a tin g th a t its c la im s a r e “le g a lly s u f f ic ie n t a n ds u p p o rte db yap r im af a c ie s h o w in g o f

f a c ts to s u s ta in af

a v o r ab le j ud gm enti f the evi dence s ub m i tt ed by [L am ou r] i s c re di t ed. ” Metab ol i f e I nt ’l , Inc. v. W orni ck, 264 F . 3d 832, 840 ( 9th C i r . 2001) ( quot i ng W i lco x v. Su

p eri o r C o u rt ,4

2 7 C a l. A p p . 4 th 8 0 9 , 8 2 3 ( C a l. C t. A p p . 1 9 9 4 ) , ov e rrr ule d on othe rgr ounds by E qu i lon E nter

s. , L L Cv. C on sum erCau se, Inc. , 2 9 C a l. 4 th 5 3 , 6 7 ( C a l. 2 0 0 2 ) ) . L a m o u rh a s n o t d e m o n s tr a te dap r o b ab ilityo f s u c c e s s o n th e m e r its o f its brea ch of contra ctcl ai m . If the A l fa l faD ef

endant s are covered agent s or a ff i l i at es of L a m our , L a m ouri s i t s e l f i n br e a c h of

the s e tt l e m e nta nd C ons e ntJ udgm e nt because of the A l fa l faD ef endant s’ i nfri ng i ng ac t s. If the A l fa l faD ef

endant s are notc ove r e d bythe s e tt l e m e nta gr e e m e nt , the ya r e i nde pe nde nti nf r i nge r s of L a m oon’ s tr a de m a rk. I n ne i the rc a s e doe s L a m oon’ s l a w s ui tbr e a c h the t e rm s of the se tt l em entagre em entw i th L am ou r. E i ther L am oo n i s bri ng i ng sui tt o enforce th e a g r e e m e n t, o rit is b r in g in g s u it a g a in s t e n titie s n o t p a rtie s to th e a g r e e m e n t. T he fa ctthattho se part i es soug hti nd em ni ty and contri bu t i on fr om L am ou r does n o t b r e a c h L a m o o n ’s p r o m is e n o t to b r in g s u it a g a in s t L a m o u r . L a m o u rh a s a ls o f

a ile dto d e m o n s tr a te ap r o b ab ilityo f s u c c e s s o n th e m e r its o f its e q u itab le in d e m n ityc la im . L a m o o n is n o t s e e k in g to r e c o v e rtw ic e , b u t to e n f o r c e th e te rm s o f

th e s e ttle m e n t a n din

ju n c tio n . W e a ls o a f

f irm th e d is tr ic t c o u rt’s d e c is io n n o t to g r a n t L a m o u rle a v e to a m e nd i t s c om pl a i nt . “ A di s tr i c tc ourtdoe s note rri n de ny i ng l e a ve t o a m e nd w here the am endm entw ou l d b e f ut i l e. ” G ardne rv . M

ar t i no , 563 F . 3d 981, 990 (9th C i r. 20 09 ). B oth o f L am ou r’ s c l ai m s depend o n the faul ty pre m i se that5

La mo o n ’ s s u i tb r e a c h e s th e a g r e e me n tb e tw e e n th e m. Be c au s e La mo u r ’ s c l a i ms ha ve unde r l y i ng l e ga l de f i c i e nc i e s tha tc a nnotbe c ur e d, a m e ndm e ntw oul d be f u tile . A FFI R M ED .