Oct. 24, 2025
Anti-SLAPP motions can sting in a surprising variety of cases
Once limited mostly to defamation and media cases, California's anti-SLAPP statute (Code Civ. Proc. § 425.16) has expanded into nearly every corner of civil litigation -- from employment, family, and probate disputes to contract, real estate, and arbitration matters -- catching unprepared lawyers off guard and packing a powerful punch with fee-shifting, discovery stays, and immediate appeal rights that can turn a routine case into a high-stakes fight.
Brendan J. Begley
Shareholder and Certified Appellate Law Specialist
Weintraub, Tobin, Chediak, Coleman & Grodin Law Corporation
400 Capitol Mall Fl 11
Sacramento , CA 95814
Email: bbegley@weintraub.com
UC Davis SOL King Hall; Davis CA
More and more, anti-SLAPP motions have been rumbling into unexpected types of cases and smacking unsuspecting clients and their counsel in stinging ways. Those who have been caught off guard often misperceive the anti-SLAPP statute, Code of Civil Procedure Section 425.16, as being confined to defamation, interference-with-economic-advantage, infliction-of-emotional-distress, and malicious-prosecution actions or lawsuits involving celebrities. But such motions have been used t...
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