Garm
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2019
Okay so, I THINK I can explain this from a layman's perspective. TCPA locks all discovery, which it's designed to do. The issue here is that Discovery is a stage 1 part of a lawsuit, that once a Trial process occurs (Which in this case is the TCPA Hearing can't be 30 days before that). You have reached stage 2, which unless you have a court filing requesting leave to conduct discovery and have it granted by the court, you cannot conduct discovery, period. Basically the TCPA is DESIGNED to stop all discovery to cut down on legal costs.
Its a policy argument, the point of the TCPA is to swiftly dispose of frivilous lawsuit, if a lawsuit against you is frivilous, the last thing you want to do is engage in discovery and go through unnecessary cost, because the thing that frivilous lawsuits utilize to intimidate people is the cost of litigation. Even having your lawyer be present while you're deposed is screamingly expensive.
Thus, that is why the TCPA, and other anti-slapp statutes stay discovery (to prevent costs from being inflated), and awards costs to the defendant if they win (So that the costs of the lawsuit that would be forced onto them by the plaintiff are not)
By engaging in discovery, there is an argument, and let me make a point that it is not an insubstantial one, that the defendant is arguably waiving their right to the TCPA by implicitly agreeing that the lawsuit is NOT frivolous, by engaging in discovery. Because a truly frivolous lawsuit would get a TCPA response and nothing else.
There is a real argument that the TCPA may not apply here, it would not be beyond the pale for the courts to decide that beginning the discovery process in a lawsuit waives the right to the TCPA.
Why would you need evidence? It should be apparent on the face of the complaint that it is frivolous and lacks a basis in law and that the plaintiff either hasn't or can't present anything in support of it. At most, the plaintiff is put to find at least one witness who can back up each element of each claim or the plaintiff goes away.
Whether the TCPA applies in a defamation case is inherent in the claims made. If they're defamation it almost automatically applies. Then why is discovery needed? Either the plaintiff presents a prima facie case or just flat out loses.
the plaintiff couldn't force shit if you don't comply with it as seen by MoRon. Here a quick reminder to you that they literally ignored almost all discovery requests by Ty entirely BEFORE they filed their TCPA. They were already a week late on it but Ty was being too nice to them and only after them being bitches even THEN filed the motion to compel which is still outstanding should appeals be granted regarding them. And you have to remember that this is while they conducted discovery completely irrelevant to the TCPA: Vic's Deposition for example didn't even have any questions that would ever lead to answers showing that his Lawsuit is frivolous. Half their discovery requests were about shit THEY should be providing etc.
Arguing with the bird is a road to nowhere.