The California anti-SLAPP statute “has failed miserably,” says a California Court of Appeal in dismissing a third appeal involving legal fees awarded in litigation over the direction of the Newport Aquatic Center in Newport Beach. Two directors sued three other directors and the executive director back in 2017 alleging theft and breach of fiduciary duty among other improprieties. The defendants filed an anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) motion in response, but the trial court dismissed the defense, saying the allegations were based on alleged misappropriation and malfeasance, not on protected conduct. The Court of Appeal affirmed the decision. The original...