Powell

INTRODUCTION

Plaintiffs and respondents John Powell, Jr., and Engineered Well Service International, LLC, filed a civil lawsuit against defendants and appellants T. Scott Belden and Belden Blaine Raytis, LLP. Plaintiffs allege, inter alia, that defendants breached their fiduciary duties and committed legal malpractice by using confidential information obtained during their prior representation of plaintiffs to gain an advantage in various lawsuits in which defendants represented an adverse party. Defendants filed a special motion to strike all five causes of action alleged in the complaint under the anti-SLAPP statute (Code Civ. Proc.,1 § 425.16), asserting that they never represented plaintiffs and that the claims therein arise from petitioning activity protected by the statute. We reverse the trial court’s ruling on count three but affirm as to all other counts.

STATEMENT OF FACTS

Powell and Sturgeon’s Business Relationship John Powell, Jr., and Paul Sturgeon were business partners in three entities, all of which provided services in the oilfield industry: Engineered Well Service, LLC (EWS Texas), Engineered Well Service International, Inc. (EWS California), and Sturgeon…