Hill

I. INTRODUCTION

This action arose from the production and airing of the Netflix series Afflicted. Seven people depicted in that series sued defendants1 for defamation, invasion of privacy (false light), and fraud. Defendants moved to strike the complaint under the anti- SLAPP statute,2 but the trial court denied the motion. On appeal, defendants contend plaintiffs failed to make a prima facie showing sufficient to overcome the consent/release defenses to the defamation and false light claims. Defendants also contend plaintiffs failed to demonstrate that their defamation, false light, and fraud claims had minimal merit. We affirm.

II. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

A. The Parties

1. Plaintiffs

Four of the plaintiffs featured in Afflicted suffered from chronic illnesses and the other three provided support and care for the ill plaintiffs. Jill Edelstein (Edelstein), a licensed psychotherapist and clinical social worker, suffered from

The parties are identified in section II., A., below.

Code of Civil Procedure section 425.16 (section 425.16), “[f]amiliarly known as the anti-SLAPP statute, . . . allows defendants to seek early dismissal of unmeritorious claims…