Stalking Verdict Tossed Because Acts Constitutionally Protected

A $1.1 million damages award and a jury verdict holding foreign businessmen liable for stalking a business associate after a deal with him fell through was reversed by the Ninth Circuit.

After a multimillion-dollar deal with Roderick David soured, Charif, Adam, and Tony Kazal undertook an international campaign to tell their side of the story and inform people about the “despicable crimes” committed by David, the court said.

The Kazals sent hundred of emails to David and his employees, hired protesters to picket and distribute flyers near his residence and business—Thunder Studios Inc., in Los Angeles—and had vans emblazoned with ...