Kashian
Kashian v. Harriman
Opinion
Opinion
Buckley, J.
Edward M. Kashian brought this action against Richard L. Harriman and Valley Advocates (collectively Harriman) for what he alleged were Harriman’s unfair business practices and defamatory statements about him. Harriman filed a special motion to strike Kashian’s complaint pursuant to section 425.16 of the Code of Civil Procedure, or what is commonly known as the anti-SLAPP statute. (SLAPP is an acronym for strategic lawsuit against public participation.) The trial court granted Harriman’s motion as to all causes of action, and Kashian has appealed. We will affirm.
Factual and Procedural History
Kashian is a prominent businessman and civic leader in Fresno, who, when this dispute arose, was serving as chairman of the board of trustees of Community Hospitals of Central California (CHCC or Community), a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation.
Harriman is an attorney in Fresno who has filed numerous public interest lawsuits on behalf of various environmental interests in the San Joaquin Valley, including Valley Advocates. The present controversy arose in an entirely different context, however.
In 1999, some local medical providers and advocacy groups became concerned about…