Dixon v. Superior Court

30 Cal. App. 4th 733, 36 Cal. Rptr. 2d 687 (1994)

From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Dixon v. Superior Court

California Court of Appeal
30 Cal. App. 4th 733, 36 Cal. Rptr. 2d 687 (1994)

  • Written by Sharon Feldman, JD

Facts

Keith Dixon (defendant) was an archaeologist and anthropology professor at California State University at Long Beach (CSULB). Upon Dixon’s nomination, a portion of campus believed to be part of an ancient Native American village was included on the National Register of Historic Places. Dixon later criticized an archaeological report by Scientific Resources Surveys (SRS) (plaintiff) that was favorable to CSULB’s plan to build a Japanese garden on the site. Years later, CSULB planned to build a strip mall and parking lot on the site. California’s Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) required a site study. Dixon maintained that a report declaring the environment would not be negatively affected was based on an earlier sub-professional and error-filled report. Dixon continued to criticize SRS’s work and its effect on the proposed construction project. SRS sued Dixon for libel, slander, and interference with contractual relations and prospective economic advantage. Dixon moved to strike the complaint as a SLAPP suit, contending that his statements were for the purpose of participating in the CEQA public-comment and review process and were entitled to absolute immunity under the First Amendment. The trial court denied Dixon’s motion to strike the complaint. Dixon filed a petition for a writ of mandate.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Wallin, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 815,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership