Rajaram

Jill Shelton (Shelton), Mobile Medical Services for Physicians and Advanced Practice Nurses, Inc. (NPS), and Mobile Medical Services for Physicians and Advanced Practice Nurses, Inc., a Nursing Corporation (MMS; collectively plaintiffs), filed a complaint against defendant Chalat Rajaram. The complaint was based on defendant’s statements to the Board of Registered Nursing (Board) that led to the investigation of Shelton.

The trial court granted defendant’s special motion to strike the complaint (anti-SLAPP motion; Code Civ. Proc., §425.16 (section 425.16)), granting leave to amend one cause of action for breach of contract. After NPS filed an amended complaint for breach of contract, defendant filed another antiSLAPP motion, which the court denied.

Defendant appeals, contending the amended breach of contract cause of action is a sham because NPS merely eliminated the offending allegations from the original complaint. Defendant argues the amended breach of contract cause of action seeks to impose liability on him based solely on his statements to the Board. Thus, he asserts, the court erred in denying the anti-SLAPP motion.

We conclude there was no authority for the…