A “Re-Do” Was In Order Here.
SLAPP cross-defendants likely were pleased when a trial judge granted a SLAPP motion, followed by a $31,990 fee award based on the mandatory SLAPP fee-shifting statute. Well, the result was tarnished a bit based on the appellate court’s decision in Sarao v. Barker, Case Nos. B294816/B296391 (2d Dist., Div. 1 Mar. 4, 2020) (unpublished). On appeal, the 2/1 DCA affirmed in part and reversed in part the SLAPP ruling. That meant that cross-defendants were only partially successful, such that the fee ruling had to be re-addressed based on cross-defendants’ partial success.