Thunder Studios, Inc. v. Charif Kazal

FOR PUBLICATION

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

THUNDER STUDIOS, INC.; RODRIC No. 19-55413

DAVID,

Plaintiffs-Appellees, D.C. No. 2:17-cv-00871- v. AB-SS

CHARIF KAZAL; TONY KAZAL;

ADAM KAZAL, OPINION

Defendants-Appellants.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Central District of California André Birotte, Jr., District Judge, Presiding

Argued and Submitted June 3, 2020 Pasadena, California

Filed September 15, 2021

Before: William A. Fletcher and Kenneth K. Lee, Circuit Judges, and Carol Bagley Amon,* District Judge.

Opinion by Judge W. Fletcher; Dissent by Judge Lee

* The Honorable Carol Bagley Amon, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York, sitting by designation. SUMMARY**

First Amendment

Reversing the district court’s judgment, after a jury trial, in favor of defendants on a claim of stalking under Cal. Civ. Code § 1708.7, and remanding, the panel held that two defendants’ speech and speech-related conduct were protected under the First Amendment and were therefore…