Lawrence

INTRODUCTION

Jeffrey Robert Lawrence alleges he was subjected to an internal investigation and

dismissed from his position as a deputy public defender for the County of San Bernardino (the County) in retaliation for reporting his superiors for alleged violations of conflict of

interest laws and rules. The County appeals an order denying its special motion to strike

under the anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) statute. (Code Civ.

Proc., § 425.16.)1 The County contends the trial court erroneously concluded the

gravamen of these claims do not arise from protected activity and are not subject to the

anti-SLAPP statute. We agree with the County and reverse.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

We state the facts in the light most favorable to plaintiff, the party opposing the

anti-SLAPP motion. (See Soukup v. Law Offices of Herbert Hafif (2006) 39 Cal.4th 260,

269, fn. 3 (Soukup).)

A

Lawrence was employed by the County as a deputy public defender from

September 1998 until he was discharged in October 2010. He received work

performance evaluations stating he consistently exceeded the expectations of his job

requirements throughout his 12 years of…