John Doe v. Gangland Productions, Inc.

Defendants’ documentary television series, Gangland, provides an inside glimpse into America’s most notorious street gangs. Plaintiff, a former prison gang member and police informant, has personal knowledge of certain high profile gangs. Plaintiff asserts that he agreed to be interviewed for an episode of Gangland on condition that his identity would be concealed in the broadcast. Defendants contend that Plaintiff knowingly signed a release that gave them the right to broadcast Plaintiffs identity.

When the Gangland episode aired, Plaintiffs identity was not concealed. Plaintiff filed a lawsuit for various claims alleging that Defendants’ failure to conceal his identity in the broadcast endangered his life and cost him his job as an informant. Defendants then filed an anti-SLAPP motion, a special motion to strike the complaint under the California Code of Civil Procedure § 425.16. The district court denied the motion on the ground that Defendants failed to show that the anti- SLAPP statute is applicable to Plaintiffs complaint. Defendants bring an interlocutory appeal of the district court’s order. We affirm in part and reverse in part the district court’s denial of…