A Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani team, including Partners Hannah Brown Goehring, Matthew Kleiner, and Andrea Williams, successfully defended two anonymous defendants in a defamation lawsuit, securing a complete dismissal of the case on appeal. The California Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court’s dismissal of the plaintiff’s claims, ensuring the defendants’ right to anonymous speech remained protected.
The plaintiff alleged that defamatory statements on social media led to his termination of employment. However, the GRSM team successfully argued that the plaintiff failed to serve the anonymous defendants within the statutory period, and the court ultimately dismissed the case. On appeal, the GRSM team reinforced that the defendants had not made a general appearance and that the dismissal was mandatory under California law. The Court of Appeal agreed, upholding the dismissal and awarding costs to the firm’s clients.
This victory highlights GRSM’s extensive experience in First Amendment and defamation defense, particularly in online speech cases.