Chryssikos

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

The genesis of this action is an article published in the Desert Star Weekly about a business operating out of the home of Karl Baker, a then-sitting councilman for the City of Desert Hot Springs (City), having received $40,000. The business was an alarm-monitoring company owned by plaintiff, who lived with Baker and had a contract with the City for alarm-monitoring and security services. The day after the article was published, Rayburn, a local radio talk show host, began a series of broadcasts themed “Who is Pete Chryss?” In them, Rayburn

2 accused plaintiff of, among other things, being investigated by the FBI for child pornography, committing credit card fraud and identity theft, making death threats, defrauding the City, as well as failing to provide child support and physically abusing his child’s mother approximately 20 years ago. Plaintiff sued Rayburn, the radio station he worked for (MCC Radio), its general manager (White) and its director of news, talk and sports programming (McMullen) for defamation per se of a private matter of private and public concern, invasion of privacy for disclosure of private facts, invasion of privacy for…