Court Opinion

ID: 9747955
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-27 15:45:36.84966+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:25:29.476970
License: Public Domain

RYLAARSDAM, Acting P. J., Dissenting.
I respectfully dissent.
I wholly agree with my colleagues’ legal analysis. But I differ with their application of the law to the facts in this case. My disagreement goes only to the issue of whether plaintiffs have “established a probability that [they] will prevail on the claim----” (Code Civ. Proc., § 425.16, subd. (b)(3); the entire statute will be referred to as the anti-SLAPP statute (strategic lawsuit against public participation) and all further statutory references are to the Code of Civil Procedure.)
Once it is established that the defendant’s conduct is protected under the anti-SLAPP statute, the plaintiff is charged with the burden “to make a prima facie' showing, by admissible evidence, of facts that would merit a favorable *94judgment on those claims .... [Citations.] This burden is somewhat akin to that required to resist a nonsuit [citation], or to move for summary judgment. [Citation.]” (1-800 Contacts, Inc. v. Steinberg (2003) 107 Cal.App.4th 568, 584 [132 Cal.Rptr.2d 789], fn. omitted.) “A plaintiff is not required ‘to prove the specified claim to the trial court’; rather, so as to not deprive the plaintiff of a jury trial, the appropriate inquiry is whether the plaintiff has stated and substantiated a legally sufficient claim. [Citation.]” (Mann v. Quality Old Time Service, Inc. (2004) 120 Cal.App.4th 90, 105 [15 Cal.Rptr.3d 215].)
The fact that the test for a “prima facie showing” is identical to the test for summary judgment was reiterated by our Supreme Court in Taus v. Loftus (2007) 40 Cal.4th 683. The court stated, “past cases interpreting [the anti-SLAPP statute] establish that the Legislature did not intend that a court, in ruling on a motion to strike under this statute, would weigh conflicting evidence to determine whether it is more probable than not that plaintiff will prevail on the claim, but rather intended to establish a summary-judgment-like procedure available at an early stage of litigation that poses a potential chilling effect on speech-related activities.”
Thus, as would be the case if this were a motion for summary judgment, it is our task to determine whether plaintiffs presented sufficient evidence, contradicted or not, to demonstrate the existence of a prima facie case. There is only one element of plaintiffs’ cause of action where my colleagues concluded plaintiffs were unable to supply such a demonstration: clear and convincing evidence of actual malice. And this is the only point on which our paths diverge.
Since the same standard applies, I approach my analysis of this case as if defendant had moved for summary judgment under section 437c and we, on de novo review, would determine whether the trial court erred in denying such a motion. Under section 437c, subdivision (p)(2), once defendant had met his initial burden, the burden would have shifted to plaintiffs to demonstrate the existence of evidence raising triable issues of fact. But the court may not grant summary judgment “based on inferences reasonably deducible from the evidence, if contradicted by other inferences or evidence, which raise a triable issue as to any material fact.” (§ 437c, subd. (c).) Also, the court may deny summary judgment “where the only proof of a material fact offered in support of the summary judgment is an affidavit or declaration made by an individual who was the sole witness , to that fact. . . .” (§ 437c, subd. (e).) And in making our determination, we may consider all evidence, regardless of which party presented it. (§ 437c, subd. (c).)
Now let us examine the evidence relating to the malice element of plaintiffs’ claim. I can hardly disagree with my colleagues that we “must
*95independently decide whether the evidence in the record is sufficient to cross the constitutional threshold that bars the entry of any judgment that is not supported by clear and convincing proof of ‘actual malice.’ ” (Bose Corp. v. Consumers Union of U. S., Inc. (1984) 466 U.S. 485, 511 [80 L.Ed.2d 502, 104 S.Ct. 1949].) Although we are required to engage in de novo review on this issue, we need not draw all inferences favorable to defendant and ignore reasonable inferences favoring plaintiffs. And, in my opinion, when we consider all of the evidence, regardless of who produced it, and draw the possible inferences therefrom, it supports the conclusion that defendant acted with actual malice.
Putting plaintiffs’ best case forward and drawing the inferences in their favor, here is what happened: Plaintiffs truthfully advertised the need for additional funds after their mail had been lost due to misdirection. Defendant, motivated by his anger at having been fired by plaintiffs, attempted to embarrass them by asking the post office to conduct a criminal investigation, based on his claim that plaintiffs’ advertisement was untruthful and that no mail had been misdirected. The post office failed or refused to do so. Nevertheless, defendant placed notices on his Web site accusing plaintiffs of falsely advertising the loss of mail and asserting that plaintiffs were the subject of a mail fraud investigation.
I stress that I am not here deciding that this is what really happened. But the evidence could support such a conclusion. And such a conclusion would support a finding of malice based on clear and convincing evidence.
As noted by my colleagues, one of the leading cases dealing with the tension between the First Amendment and the law of defamation is Reader’s Digest Assn. v. Superior Court (1984) 37 Cal.3d 244 [208 Cal.Rptr. 137, 690 P.2d 610]. In discussing the de novo standard by which we are to review whether summary judgment should be granted (and the same standard applies here), the court stated: “We recognize a potential chilling effect from protracted litigation as well as a public interest in resolving defamation cases promptly. That does not mean, however, that a court should grant summary judgment when there is a triable issue of fact as to actual malice. Instead, courts may give effect to these concerns regarding a potential chilling effect by finding no triable issues unless it appears that actual malice may be proved at trial by clear and convincing evidence—i.e., evidence sufficient to permit a trier of fact to find for the plaintiff and for an appellate court to determine that the resulting judgment ‘ “does not constitute a forbidden intrusion on the field of free expression” ’ [citation].” (Id. at p. 252, italics added.)
*96Based on the evidence before us and reasonable inferences that may be drawn therefrom, I am of the opinion that there is “evidence sufficient to permit a trier of fact to find for the plaintiff and for an appellate court to determine that” (Reader’s Digest Assn. v. Superior Court, supra, 37 Cal.3d at p. 252), if plaintiff prevails, the “judgment ‘ “does not constitute a forbidden intrusion on the field of free expression” ’[citation].” (Ibid.)