Opinion ID: 2626972
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Heading: Whether the Litigation Privilege Protects the February 21 Letter

Text: We have discussed the basic principles underlying section 47(b)'s litigation privilege in many cases. The privilege applies to any publication required or permitted by law in the course of a judicial proceeding to achieve the objects of the litigation, even though the publication is made outside the courtroom and no function of the court or its officers is involved. ( Silberg v. Anderson (1990) 50 Cal.3d 205, 212, 266 Cal.Rptr. 638, 786 P.2d 365, quoted in Rusheen v. Cohen (2006) 37 Cal.4th 1048, 1057, 39 Cal.Rptr.3d 516, 128 P.3d 713.) The usual formulation is that the privilege applies to any communication (1) made in judicial or quasi-judicial proceedings; (2) by litigants or other participants authorized by law; (3) to achieve the objects of the litigation; and (4) that have some connection or logical relation to the action. ( Silberg v. Anderson, supra, at p. 212, 266 Cal.Rptr. 638, 786 P.2d 365.) The purposes of section 47, subdivision (b), are to afford litigants and witnesses free access to the courts without fear of being harassed subsequently by derivative tort actions, to encourage open channels of communication and zealous advocacy, to promote complete and truthful testimony, to give finality to judgments, and to avoid unending litigation. ( Rusheen v. Cohen, supra, 37 Cal.4th at p. 1063, 39 Cal.Rptr.3d 516, 128 P.3d 713.) Another purpose is to promote[ ] effective judicial proceedings by encouraging full communication with the courts. ( Flatley v. Mauro (2006) 39 Cal.4th 299, 322, 46 Cal. Rptr.3d 606, 139 P.3d 2.) To further these purposes, the privilege has been broadly applied. It is absolute and applies regardless of malice. ( Rusheen v. Cohen, supra, at p. 1063, 39 Cal.Rptr.3d 516, 128 P.3d 713; Silberg v. Anderson, supra, 50 Cal.3d at pp. 215-216, 266 Cal.Rptr. 638, 786 P.2d 365; see also Ribas v. Clark (1985) 38 Cal.3d 355, 364-365, 212 Cal.Rptr. 143, 696 P.2d 637; Albertson v. Raboff (1956) 46 Cal.2d 375, 380-381, 295 P.2d 405.) Indeed, the privilege extends even to civil actions based on perjury. ( Rusheen v. Cohen, supra, at p. 1058, 39 Cal.Rptr.3d 516, 128 P.3d 713; Kachig v. Boothe (1971) 22 Cal.App.3d 626, 641, 99 Cal.Rptr. 393.) `The resulting lack of any really effective civil remedy against perjurers is simply part of the price that is paid for witnesses who are free from intimidation by the possibility of civil liability for what they say.' ( Ribas v. Clark, supra, at p. 365, 212 Cal. Rptr. 143, 696 P.2d 637, quoting Prosser, Law of Torts (4th ed.1971) p. 778.) The February 21 letter fits squarely within this privilege. As the Court of Appeal explained, it constituted a `communication.' It was made in the context of a judicial proceeding, i.e., a pending case in Tehama County. Lloyd, who was the custodian of information relevant to the action, was a witness/participant. Finally, the letter furthered the objects of the litigation, since the information it conveyed had relevance to a family law visitation dispute. The Court of Appeal elaborated on this latter point: One issue before the family law court was whether a judicially imposed restriction on Jacob having contact with Todd's sons should be lifted. The fact that Victim Witness, a county agency, had determined that Jacob molested his minor nephew B.B. was relevant to and connected with that issue and therefore the litigation. We add that when a court must make very difficult and critical decisions regarding child visitation, it should receive the maximum amount of relevant information. Accordingly, Case law is clear that section 47(b) absolutely protects litigants and other participants from being sued on the basis of communications they make in the context of family law proceedings. ( Wise v. Thrifty Payless, Inc. (2000) 83 Cal.App.4th 1296, 1302, 100 Cal.Rptr.2d 437.) In Obos v. Scripps Psychological Associates, Inc. (1997) 59 Cal.App.4th 103, 107, 69 Cal.Rptr.2d 30, the court noted that obviously informing the children's counsel and therapist of the allegations [regarding the mother's boyfriend], and inquiring as to their veracity, furthered the goal of ascertaining which custodial arrangement was in the children's best interests. Similarly, in this case, providing information regarding whether one of the persons considered for visitation rights had previously molested his nephew obviously furthered the goal of ascertaining which visitation arrangement was in the children's best interest. Consistent with the general policies behind the litigation privilege, public agencies like Victim Witness must be permitted to provide such information without fear of being harassed by derivative lawsuits. Arguing against this conclusion, plaintiff notes, correctly, that the privilege protects only against communicative acts and not against noncommunicative acts. (E.g., Ribas v. Clark, supra, 38 Cal.3d at pp. 363-365, 212 Cal.Rptr. 143, 696 P.2d 637 [privilege applies to testimony, which is communicative, but not to alleged earlier illegal eavesdropping, which is noncommunicative].) Because the litigation privilege protects only publications and communications, a `threshold issue in determining the applicability of the privilege is whether the defendant's conduct was communicative or noncommunicative. ( Rusheen v. Cohen, supra, 37 Cal.4th at p. 1058, 39 Cal.Rptr.3d 516, 128 P.3d 713, quoting Kimmel v. Goland (1990) 51 Cal.3d 202, 211, 271 Cal.Rptr. 191, 793 P.2d 524.) However, if the gravamen of the action is communicative, the litigation privilege extends to noncommunicative acts that are necessarily related to the communicative conduct.... Stated another way, unless it is demonstrated that an independent, noncommunicative, wrongful act was the gravamen of the action, the litigation privilege applies. ( Rusheen v. Cohen, supra, at p. 1065, 39 Cal.Rptr.3d 516, 128 P.3d 713.) Plaintiff argues that, for these purposes, this action is based on the County's noncommunicative conduct in accessing the data through the VOX system and disclosing it to the victim's mother. We disagree. Lloyd's conduct in accessing the VOX system, by itself, was noncommunicative, but that act (which plaintiff does not even contend was unlawful) is not the gravamen of the action. As the Court of Appeal explained, the gravamen of Jacob's invasion of privacy claim was not Lloyd's noncommunicative conduct in accessing data through the VOX system and disclosing it to the victim's mother. The alleged injury stems from the publication of the information in a judicial proceeding, thereby exposing it to public view. Moreover, because the cause of action is based on a communicative act, the litigation privilege extends to those noncommunicative actions which are necessarily related to that communicative act. ( Rusheen v. Cohen, supra, 37 Cal.4th at p. 1052, 39 Cal. Rptr.3d 516,128 P.3d 713.) Citing Welfare and Institutions Code section 827, plaintiff also argues that, because he was a juvenile at the time of the alleged molestation, the information obtained from the VOX system was confidential and could not be released without a prior court order. Thus, he continues, the letter broke confidentiality laws and, accordingly, is not privileged. The Court of Appeal expressed doubt that Lloyd broke any confidentiality laws. It explained: Jacob relies exclusively on Welfare and Institutions Code section 827, which, in February 2003, shielded from public view any `petition' filed in juvenile court or `other documents filed in that case or made available to the probation officer in making his or her report, or to the judge, referee, or other hearing officer.' (§ 827, former subd. (a), as amended by Stats.1999, ch. 996, § 1 [text in former subd. (a) redesignated as subd. (e)]; see also Historical and Statutory Notes, 73A West's Ann. Welf. & Inst.Code (2006 supp.) foll. § 827, p. 141.) However, because a juvenile court case was never opened as a result of the 1993 investigation, defendants do not appear to have violated the provisions of that section, and thus Jacob's argument is flawed at its inception. Citing T.N.G. v. Superior Court (1971) 4 Cal.3d 767, 94 Cal.Rptr. 813, 484 P.2d 981, plaintiff challenges the Court of Appeal's conclusion that Welfare and Institutions Code section 827's application depends on the existence of a juvenile court proceeding. We need not resolve this question, for we agree with the Court of Appeal's primary conclusion that the litigation privilege protects the February 21 letter even if we assume that the disclosure violated juvenile record confidentially laws. As noted, the cases describe the litigation privilege as absolute, regardless of malice, and extending even to perjury. But the cases also contain language that appears to make the privilege less than absolute. As stated in a representative case (the language is oft repeated) the privilege applies to a publication required or permitted by law in the course of a judicial proceeding and to a communication by litigants or other participants authorized by law. ( Silberg v. Anderson, supra, 50 Cal.3d at p. 212, 266 Cal.Rptr. 638, 786 P.2d 365, italics added.) Plaintiff argues that, because the letter broke confidentiality laws, it was not permitted by law and Lloyd was not authorized by law to communicate the information to the court. The same sort of argument could be made regarding perjury. Obviously, perjury is not permitted by law. But the cases are clear that the litigation privilege extends to civil actions based on perjury. To resolve this question, we must closely examine what the terms permitted by law and authorized by law mean in this context. This language appears to date back to the early decision of Albertson v. Raboff, supra, 46 Cal.2d 375, 295 P.2d 405. In that case, the plaintiff sued the defendant for alleged false representations made in a notice of lis pendens that the defendant had recorded in conjunction with an earlier legal action between the parties. We had to decide whether the litigation privilege extended to a recorded document that did not directly involve the courts. In holding that it did, we stressed section 47(b)'s broad reach. It is our opinion that the privilege applies to any publication, such as the recordation of a notice of lis pendens, that is required [citation] or permitted [citation] by law in the course of a judicial proceeding to achieve the objects of the litigation, even though the publication is made outside the courtroom and no function of the court or its officers is invoked. [Citation.] ... If the publication has a reasonable relation to the action and is permitted by law, the absolute privilege attaches. [Citations.] It therefore attaches to the recordation of a notice of lis pendens, for such a publication is permitted by law, and like other documents that may be filed in an action, it has a reasonable relation thereto and it is immaterial that it is recorded with the county recorder instead of being filed with the county clerk. ( Albertson v. Raboff, supra, at pp. 380-381, 295 P.2d 405, italics added.) It should be apparent that in Albertson, by using the term permitted by law, we meant to broaden the privilege's reach beyond traditional limits by including any category of publication permitted by law. We did not suggest that the specific publication must be permitted. This was the conclusion of a Court of Appeal decision that considered this question. Appellants point to the language of Albertson v. Raboff, supra, 46 Cal.2d 375, at page 380, 295 P.2d 405, to the effect that the privilege applies to any publication that is `permitted' by law, as inferentially denying the privilege to false documents. However, in the light of cases decided before and after Albertson, it is apparent that the court in that case intended the language used to apply merely to the category of evidence or documents. The court did not intend to require that the evidence or documents be accurate or truthful before the privilege attached. To hold otherwise would be inconsistent with the general public purpose of the privilege to encourage the utmost freedom of access to the courts and quasi-judicial bodies. ( Pettitt v. Levy (1972) 28 Cal.App.3d 484, 489, 104 Cal.Rptr. 650, cited in Silberg v. Anderson, supra, 50 Cal.3d at p. 212, 266 Cal.Rptr. 638, 786 P.2d 365.) The result in Albertson v. Raboff, supra, 46 Cal.2d 375, 295 P.2d 405, itself demonstrates this point. A notice of lis pendens, as a category, is permitted by law and, hence, is privileged, even if a specific notice, being perjurious, might be considered not permitted by law. The same would be true of courtroom testimony, which obviously is a category permitted by law. One may readily acknowledge that perjured testimony is not permitted, but the privilege extends even to such testimony because testimony in general is permitted by law. Another example is found in Rusheen v. Cohen, supra, 37 Cal.4th 1048, 39 Cal.Rptr.3d 516, 128 P.3d 713, where we held that the privilege extends to filing allegedly false declarations of service to obtain a default judgment.... ( Id. at p. 1052, 39 Cal.Rptr.3d 516, 128 P.3d 713.) Obviously, the law does not permit false declarations, but declarations of service to obtain a default judgment are a category of publication permitted by law. Hence, the litigation privilege protects all such declarations. Thus, in this case, the question is whether the February 21 letter is a category of communication permitted by law. We conclude it is. The law permits a communication to the court relevant to a family law decision it must make. Accordingly, such a communication is privileged even if a specific communication might not be permitted by law because, for example, it was either perjurious or meant to be kept confidential. Just as the privilege extends to communications otherwise within section 47(b)'s reach that are perjurious, it also extends to communications otherwise within its reach that might be deemed confidential. For these reasons, we agree with the trial court and the Court of Appeal that section 47(b)'s litigation privilege extends to the February 21 letter.