Nygård, Inc. v. Uusi-Kerttula, 159 Cal. App. 4th 1027 (2008)

After quitting his employment with Nygård, Timo Uusi-Kerttula gave an interview about his work experiences to a Finnish magazine. Nygård then sued Timo and the magazine for a variety of claims, including breach of contract and defamation. The trial court granted defendants’ motion to strike pursuant to the anti-SLAPP statute, Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 425.16. The Court of Appeal affirmed dismissal of the complaint, holding that defendants had met the criteria of the statute and had established a probability of prevailing in their defenses against Nygård’s claims. See also Neville v. Chudacoff, 160 Cal. App. 4th 1255 (2008) (employer’s attorney’s letter to customers accusing former employee of misappropriation of trade secrets was protected by anti-SLAPP statute); cf. Burdette v. Carrier Corp., 158 Cal. App. 4th 1668 (2008) (some of employee’s defamation claims were precluded by prior federal court judgment).