Blanchard v. DIRECTV, Inc.

DIRECTV (defendant) sent demand letters to people it believed had purchased illegal satellite-decryption devices, threatening litigation and offering settlement. A group of recipients (plaintiffs) sued in state court alleging extortion, seeking to enjoin the letters and get their settlement money back. DIRECTV moved to strike the suit under California's anti-SLAPP statute as an attempt to chill its constitutional right to petition; the plaintiffs argued their suit fell under the statute's public-interest exemption. The trial court granted DIRECTV's motion, and the plaintiffs appealed.