Sameyah

BACKGROUND

A. Events Giving Rise to Sameyah’s Criminal Trial On March 25, 2019, Gishi and six other Keyes employees, Gerard Kevylian, Tigran Abeghyan, Ilia2 Shapiro, Dante Wood, Andre Butler, and Vahe Mnatsakanyan were at a restaurant. Sameyah, his wife Tracey,3 his children Soraya and Amir, Soraya’s boyfriend Fadi Hawatmeh, and Amir’s girlfriend Nikki Tahmaseby were seated at an adjacent table. The evidence submitted in connection with the anti-SLAPP motion shows the parties and witnesses described differently what occurred next. According to law enforcement interviews of Sameyah’s family members, the Keyes employees were drunk, loud, and vulgar. Sameyah calmly stood up, walked towards their table, and asked the group to quiet down and stop using profanity. Gishi responded aggressively and cursed at Sameyah. Gishi then stood up, clenched his fists, and raised his arms in an aggressive

2 Shapiro’s first name is sometimes spelled “Ilya” in the record. 3 As Sameyah’s family members share his last name, we refer to them by their first names to avoid confusion.

3 stance. According to Amir, Gishi stated that he had a gun. Amir felt worried for his father, who was using a cane,…