Participated in an amicus brief (with the Reporters Committee and other amici) filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Parekh v. CBS, a case concerning the applicability of the Florida anti-SLAPP statute’s fee-shifting provision in federal court. The district court granted CBS’s motion to dismiss Parekh’s defamation action and awarded CBS fees and costs under the Florida anti-SLAPP statute. Parekh appealed. The amicus brief argues that the Florida fee-shifting provision does not conflict with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure because the Federal Rules do not address whether dismissal of a SLAPP can support an award of attorney fees. The brief also argues that applying state anti-SLAPP fee-shifting provisions uniformly in state and federal court would protect valuable speech and prevent forum shopping. [2020]
