California Court of Appeal

Defendant's special motion to strike was properly denied. The underlying judgment, which included a finding of malice and an award of punitive damages, supports the inference that the jury considered defendant's theory to be fraudulent and prosecuted in bad faith; together with the grant of summary judgment in favor of plaintiff, this demonstrates a potential for recovery in this action.

Appellate Information

• Decided 01/28/2004
• Published 01/28/2004

Judges

•  HASTINGS, J.

Court

• California Court of Appeal

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
•  Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold, Christina J. Imre, Encino, and Douglas J. Collodel, Los Angeles, for Defendant and Appellant Ranger Insurance Company., Manning & Marder, Kass, Ellrod & Ramirez, Michael McCarthy, David J. Wilson, and David L. Scott, Los Angeles, for Defendants and Appellants Arthur Wasserman and Law Offices of Wasserman & Miller., Mark F. Didak and Richard C. Dupar, Los Angeles, for Plaintiff and Respondent Richard Slaney., Barger & Wollen, Gregory O. Eisenreich and Theodore H. Swanson, Los Angeles, for Amici Curiae Signal Aviation Underwriters, Inc., Underwriters Adjustment Bureau and Universal Loss Management, Inc., as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Defendant and Appellant Ranger Insurance Company.