Jordan
Jordan v. Wonderful Citrus Packing LLC
Opinion
Trial Court Opinion
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 3 JAMES K. JORDAN, CASE NO. 1:18-CV-00401-AWI-SAB
Plaintiff,
ORDER ON DEFENDANT’S MOTION
v. RE: COMMON-INTEREST PRIVILEGE
WONDERFUL CITRUS PACKING LLC, (Doc. No. 57) a California limited liability company, 8 Defendant.
10 Defendant Wonderful Citrus Packing LLC (“Wonderful Citrus”) has moved the Court to rule that certain allegedly defamatory statements qualify for California’s common-interest privilege, which is codified at California Civil Code § 47(c). For the reasons discussed below, the Court will deny Wonderful Citrus’ motion. I. Background A. Jordan’s defamation claim. Plaintiff James Jordan (“Jordan”) is a former employee of Wonderful Citrus. Jordan alleges that Wonderful Citrus defamed him by falsely telling hundreds of people that he stole from Wonderful Citrus while he was employed. Based on this allegation, Jordan sued Wonderful Citrus for defamation under California law. B. The Court’s scheduling order…